Expect modest movement for the Illinois football program in the AP Top 25

Illinois football set some marks that the program hasn’t achieved in quite some time.

It was a wild first 33.3% of the season, as the Illini have started 4-0. This isn’t just your ordinary 4-0 start, though. Illinois has knocked off two top-25 programs in the first four games.

This great start enabled Illinois to sneak into the AP Top 25. It is the first time we have been ranked since the 2022 campaign. But there were a couple of more firsts that date back longer than two years ago.

Beating Nebraska was big for the Orange and Blue, as it gave us the fourth win of the season. It is the first time Illinois has started a season 4-0 since the 2011 campaign.

On top of the great start, Illinois was ranked No. 24 in the country heading into the game this past Friday. Nebraska donned the No. 22 ranking. This was the first game Illinois was ranked while playing a ranked opponent since the 2007 season in the Rose Bowl.

With the win over a ranked Nebraska program, Illinois will surely move up in the updated AP Top 25 on Sunday, but how far can we climb?

Don’t expect a huge jump for the Illinois football program in the updated AP Top 25

While beating the No. 22 ranked Cornhuskers is a great feat, I am not sure how much movement Illinois is going to see when it comes to the rankings.

No. 23 Northern Illinois lost to Buffalo, so the Illini will jump the Huskies. BYU thumped No. 13 Kansas State, 38-9. That margin of defeat could drop the Wildcats significantly. I wouldn’t be shocked if Illinois jumps them, as they probably land somewhere around where we are ranked right now.

No. 14 Oklahoma State lost to No. 12 Utah, but that won’t drop them that much. No. 11 USC lost to No. 18 Michigan, so there shouldn’t be a big drop there either. No. 15 Oklahoma fell to No. 6 Tennessee, so the Sooners will only fall a couple of spots.

So, while Illinois was able to take down another top-25 program, I don’t see a huge jump. My guess is that we go from No. 24 to somewhere between No. 20 and No. 22. A game against a top 10 Penn State program awaits, though. That is when we could see the biggest jump.