Coming into Sunday, the Illinois football team was sitting pretty in the AP Top 25.
The Illini donned a single-digit number at No. 9 in the country for the first time since the 2001 campaign. That Kurt Kittner-led Illinois squad got as high as No. 7 that season.
With a blowout win over Western Michigan 38-0, I don’t usually expect a ton of upward movement, as there isn’t a ton of room to move up, and the win wasn’t that impressive. But Notre Dame was ahead of us and lost their second straight game, dropping them to No. 24 in the country.
Despite that fact, the newest AP Top 25 held Illinois at No. 9. Instead of moving us up a spot, they had Florida State, which didn’t play this week, jump the Illini and move up three spots. Why? I believe the wind changed directions, which is why. There is no rhyme or reason behind the movement.
Illinois’ 2025 schedule looks a little tougher in the coming weeks with the new AP Top 25
It is a bit disappointing not seeing Illinois up a spot, but it is what it is. We will have plenty of chances to not only move up, but we could easily crack the top five if things go right in the next month or so.
With the new AP Top 25 that was released, the Illini now play three ranked opponents in the next four games.
We head to Bloomington this Saturday to take on the No. 19-ranked Indiana Hoosiers. This was always a ranked game, but Indiana did move up three spots into the top 20.
The following week, Illinois has USC. The Trojans entered the AP Top 25 this week at No. 25 in the country. Having this be a ranked matchup will only boost our resume.
And lastly, on October 11, Illinois has the matchup everyone is eyeing. We welcome No. 1 Ohio State.
While the Illini didn't move up, our schedule got stronger. Honestly, I would argue that is better for the program in the long run. Let’s see what we can do on the road against a top 20 program.