Illinois Football Rises to No. 20 in AP Top 25 Poll – With No. 1 Oregon Up Next

Illini fans might have expected even better after a 21-7 win against Michigan on Saturday

Oct 19, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Matthew Bailey (7) reacts after a turnover against the Michigan Wolverines during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Are you sitting down?

It doesn't matter, actually.

The new college football polls are out, and Illinois fans' worlds aren't exactly going to be rocked.

AP Poll Ranking

No. 20#Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/5ZdtUGPmXD

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) October 20, 2024

Even after a major Week 8 win against defending national champion Michigan, the Illini (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) rose only two spots – from No. 22 to No. 20 – in the AP poll and stayed put at No. 21 in the coaches poll. They passed Missouri, which fell from 19th to 21st after a narrow win against Auburn, and SMU, which dropped a spot to No. 22 despite having won by 30 at Stanford. SMU fans are the ones who deserve to be griping, come to think of it.

No teams ranked above Illinois lost in Week 8 except for Texas, which went from No. 1 to No. 5 after getting manhandled by Georgia, and Alabama, which plummeted from seventh to 15th after a close one at Tennessee. In other words, the Illini staying in the same range was to be expected.

POLL ALERT: Oregon is new No. 1 in AP Top 25 college football poll after Texas loses to Georgia at home; Vanderbilt in, Michigan out.

Full poll: https://t.co/7dTTUiT9QR pic.twitter.com/Qv5Rr4GuqI

— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) October 20, 2024

Regardless, a Week 9 game at Oregon (Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS) will go a long way toward informing how the Illini are viewed from here on out. The 7-0 Ducks are college football's new No. 1 team, having moved up from the second spot. One suspects the Ducks have been in enough big, high-profile games that they'll be spending exactly zero seconds caring about the number in front of Illinois' name.

The Illini opened as 21-point underdogs in this matchup, a huge number considering their record. That means there's a chance they can "lose well" – keep the game close, in other words – without tumbling from the next poll. Of course, it also means an upset would send them flying up the rankings. Top 12, anyone? Since the 2001 Sugar Bowl squad, no Illini team in any week has ranked higher than 13th.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Instant Analysis: Illinois 21, Michigan 7

Can Bret Bielema Transform Illinois Into a College Football Powerhouse?

Illinois Football Legend Red Grange: His Legacy and Impact