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Bret Bielema keeps Illinois football trending upward in latest AP Top 25

It used to be a shock to see the Illinois football team in the AP Top 25, but now it is starting to become common place.

By Rees Woodcock

Aug 29, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema greets running back Ca'Lil Valentine (5) before the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Aug 29, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema greets running back Ca'Lil Valentine (5) before the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
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Don’t look now, but the Illinois football team has found itself with a number next to our name.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty big for the Illini. Getting past Eastern Illinois in week one was something that was supposed to happen. A win over the-No. 19 Kansas was a bit of a surprise, though.

This victory in week two of the season really set Illinois up for a good year. With a big win, there is always a chance of a letdown game the following week. Bret Bielema made sure that didn’t happen, though. Illinois came out and played decently well against Central Michigan on Saturday.

Coming into the week, Illinois had the most votes to be in the AP Top 25 due to the win over the Jayhawks. A victory over the Chippewas was sure to get us into the rankings. On Sunday, that sure thinking became a reality.

The AP Top 25 was updated, and not only did Illinois make the rankings, but we nudged our way up to No. 24 in the country.

Illinois football cracking the AP Top 25 is somewhat of a familiar place under Bret Bielema

It is so nice to have the Illini back in the AP Top 25. I missed the feeling of having the program ranked with the potential to reach great heights.

This isn’t the first time Illinois has been ranked in the Bielema era either. Just two seasons ago, Illinois worked its way up to No. 14 in the country and No. 16 in the College Football Playoff.

Bielema now has the Illini ranked in two out of four seasons he has been the head coach. The last coach to say that was Ron Zook during the 2007 and 2008 campaigns. That was 17 seasons ago.

The Illinois schedule gives us a chance to not only be in the top 25 for much of the season but to also make a run at the College Football Playoff top 12. Four ranked opponents await in the next five games. This is a crucial stretch of the season.

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