While the Illinois football team is coming off its best season in decades, the program needs to prove that we belong.
The much-anticipated first AP Top 25 poll of the season dropped on Monday afternoon, and the Illini aren’t looked at as a doormat anymore. Coming off a 10-win campaign, Illinois is still one of the top teams in the country.
Staring the season, the Illini will be ranked No. 12 in the country. This is up four spots from the finishing No. 16 ranking from last season.
Why is Illinois ranked in the top 12? Simple, we were No. 16 last season and beat a really good South Carolina team, which is ranked No. 13, in the Citrus Bowl. Illinois returns 16 out of the 22 starters from that team.
Not only are we ranked in the top 12, but Illinois is ready to prove that ranking isn’t a fluke, too. With so much talent coming back, a hot start is in the cards. We have a chance to win some big games early on and maintain that top national ranking.
Illinois football has become familiar with the AP Top 25
Just having the Illini in the AP Top 25 to start the season is exciting. While it hasn’t happened in 17 years, the fact that Illinois is in the rankings is starting to become a familiar sight.
Since Bret Bielema took the reins, the Illini have had a number next to our name in three seasons now. The first occurrence happened in 2022, when Tommy DeVito helped lead a magical run to eight wins and an AP ranking of No. 14 in the country.
Last season took those special feelings to another level. Not only did Illinois win 10 games, the most since 2001, but the program climbed into the AP Top 25 at No. 16. We kept a ranking next to our name for much of the season and even finished No. 16 in the final AP Top 25 ranking.
This is a different era of Illinois football. A successful one. Bielema has this program clicking on and off the field, and we should continue to expect a number next to our name moving forward.