Illinois returns to the AP Top 25 after defeating Michigan State. Following two weeks without receiving any votes, Illinois made its way back into the AP Top 25 rankings. The Illini’s dominant 38-16 victory over Michigan State propelled them to No. 24 in this week’s poll. With 74 points, Illinois (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) was reintroduced to the rankings after having no votes in the previous two weeks.
This marks the eighth time Illinois has been ranked in the AP Top 25 this season, the most since 2001 when they appeared in 10 polls. It’s only the second time since 2008 that Illinois has earned votes in eight separate weeks, with 2022 being the other occasion. This highlights the significant improvement under head coach Bret Bielema.
In the AP Top 25 rankings, the Big Ten teams include Oregon (1st), Ohio State (2nd), Penn State (4th), Indiana (5th), and Illinois (24th).
Illinois has the opportunity to build late-season momentum with two remaining games against teams with losing conference records. However, both games will be on the road—at Rutgers and at Northwestern. The Illini are undefeated this season (4-0) as favorites and 3-1 against non-top-5 teams when underdogs. Illinois has already secured its fourth winning regular season since 2001 and still has a shot at winning 8+ games for just the 16th time in its history, or even reaching 9+ wins for the eighth time.
Next up, Illinois will travel to Rutgers, where they have a strong 5-3 all-time record and have won their last three games in Piscataway. However, they lost their most recent matchup in 2021, 20-14. Rutgers (6-4, 3-4 Big Ten) is on a two-game winning streak after a four-game losing skid. The Scarlet Knights rank 11th in scoring offense (20.6 points) and 13th in scoring defense (26.7 points) in Big Ten play. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis has thrown for 2,128 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, while running back Kyle Monangai has rushed for 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns.
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