Did Illinois Remain Ranked in the AP Poll, and Are the Illini Even Top-25 Worthy?

The Illini – No. 9 last week – were blasted by Indiana on Saturday, so did they stick around the top 25 on Sunday (or even deserved to)?

Sep 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema and quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) during the second half against the Western Michigan Broncos at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

No, it wasn’t just a bad dream, Illini fans. It certainly was a nightmare, but Saturday's road game in Bloomington, Indiana, was as real as the sky is blue. Then-No. 9 Illinois (now 3-1) did in fact take a hellacious 63-10 beating from then-No. 19 Indiana (4-0).

Final: Indiana 63, Illinois 10

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) September 21, 2025

Everything that could have gone wrong did. The Illini offensive line was atrocious (quarterback Luke Altmyer was sacked seven times), the run game was non-existent (Illinois: two total rushing yards), injuries and a targeting call against defensive back Miles Scott decimated the secondary.

Edge-rushing menace Gabe Jacas’ impact wasn’t felt by Indiana’s offense at all, and penalties and special teams mistakes only made life more miserable for the Illini.

Yet, somewhat surprisingly, the country hasn't completely given up on Illinois – or at least AP voters haven’t.

Is Illinois still ranked?

Sep 20, 2025; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema walks onto the field prior to the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

In Sunday’s AP poll, the Illini landed at No. 23 in the country, as Bret Bielema’s club remains one of seven Big Ten squads ranked in the top 25. (Ohio State is No. 1, Penn State is No. 3, Oregon is No. 6, Indiana is No. 11, Michigan is No. 19 and USC is No. 21.)

No. 23 in the AP Poll Rankings. pic.twitter.com/bBVxFA3VHn

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) September 21, 2025

Should Illinois still be in the top 25?

Sep 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema reacts during the second half against the Western Michigan Broncos at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

If you were to argue that Illinois is riding the coattails of its 2024 resume (10-3 last year) to stay ranked in the top 25, it would be a fairly valid argument.

The Illini have three wins on the season, two of which (Western Michigan and Western Illinois) provide little insight into their form at the highest levels, while the other – on the road at Duke – may have been impressive at the time but in retrospect isn't much of a resume-builder.

The Blue Devils are just 2-2 through four games, with their other loss coming against Tulane, a fantastic mid-major squad but a non-Power Four crew nonetheless.

And after Illinois was steamrolled in a 53-point loss – albeit by a severely underrated Indiana team – you would be hard-pressed to find many people who genuinely believe it is one of the 25 best teams in the country.

The Illini may currently rank 23rd in the AP poll, but especially at this point of the season, that figure doesn’t accurately reflect the true top 25 teams in the nation. The AP poll is just a pulse tracker of sorts, pinpointing the best teams based on early record, strength of schedule and vibes.

At least for now, Illinois, despite its 3-1 record, is not one of the best teams in the FBS. In time, maybe the Illini can reclaim that distinction. But they will first need to make some dramatic changes to their schemes on both sides of the ball, and clean up their rampant miscues and mistakes.

With a dominant USC offense up next for Illinois, working out the blocking and defensive issues over the next few days will be imperative if the Illini are to knock off the Trojans, prove last week was an anomaly and reenter the discussion as a premier college football squad.