Illinois Uses NSFW Acronym To Describe Feelings About Top 25 Rankings

Zachary Draves | Sep 17, 2024

Sep 7, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

The Illinois Fighting Illini are No. 24 in the Top 25 rankings, but it is not something they pay much attention.

"Pardon my language," defensive coordinator Aaron Henry said. "I hate rankings. I talk to our defense especially. We say, "FTR." I ain't gonna tell you what that means." 

In short, the Illini say Bleep The Rankings. It isn't just the defense. The offense feels the same way.

"Sure, there's value there," offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. said. "We don't pay much attention to the outside noise. It's a lot better than not being ranked. Our players have put themselves in position to be noticed because of the way we started the season and that's always good." 

The Fighting Illini are off to the best start since 2011. The upset victory over Kansas Sept. 7 is the biggest win of the 3-0 start.

As they prepare for the first road game of the season against the Nebraska Cornhuskers Friday night, the focus is on the game. Lunney said the rankings are irrelevant as of now.

"Is that going to carry weight when we go into the game Friday night? No, it won't carry any weight when the two teams are on the field," Lunney siad. "It's just two teams getting after each other. I think it's nice for our players to be recognized for that."

Zachary Draves is a contributor to Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. He can be reached at zdraves1013@gmail.com and on Instagram @zdraves0633.

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