Top 25 College Football Poll Week 7: Can Illinois Climb Higher?

With Purdue on tap Saturday, the Illini could soon find themselves in the polls' teens

Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini offensive lineman Brandon Henderson (94) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Illinois football’s unofficial motto this week: “23 and we.”

The new polls are out, with the 4-1 Illini – who were on a bye in Week 6 – coming in at No. 23 in both the AP and Coaches’ Top 25s. They moved up one spot in the AP poll and two spots in the coaches’ poll.

With a Week 7 game on tap at Memorial Stadium against Purdue – truly one of the worst-looking Big Ten teams in decades – there’s a good chance the Illini will be ranked in the teens this time next week.

AP Poll Ranking

No. 23#Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/aVWQUeCtuf

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) October 6, 2024

The most Illini-friendly voter had them at No. 11 on his ballot. One other voter had them at No. 12. Seems like a little much at this point, but we’ll see.

As volatile as Week 6 was – with five of the top 11 teams losing – we know any week can produce a bunch of tumblers in the rankings.

This one probably won’t disappoint.

No. 11 Iowa State (at West Virginia), No. 13 LSU (vs. No. 9 Ole Miss), No. 14 BYU (vs. Arizona), No. 16 Utah (at Arizona State) and No. 22 Pittsburgh (vs. California) all face what appear to be far sterner tests than the Illini will get from the lifeless Boilermakers, who opened as 18½-point underdogs. Oklahoma (vs. No. 1 Texas in Dallas) and Kansas State (at Colorado), which are tied at No. 18, also are up against it.