Did Illinois Take Advantage of Others' Stumbles in Latest AP Top 25 Poll?

The Illini put away Western Michigan in Week 3 to make a case to move deeper into the top 10 in Sunday's new poll

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

Illinois moved into the top AP Top 25 college football poll last week for the first time since 2001, and it had a chance to climb even higher than its No. 9 ranking after snuffing out Western Michigan at home Saturday, in a Week 3 in which others ranked above the Illini stumbled or fell – most notably No. 8 Notre Dame.

The Week 4 poll just dropped Sunday afternoon, so where did Illinois pan out in the rankings?

Same spot. Same mission. No. 9 in the AP Poll. pic.twitter.com/iq4XRguAA6

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) September 14, 2025

Unless you're a resident of Tallahassee, Florida, chances are you aren't going to like the results: Despite the Illini's win and the loss of the Irish (41-40, to No. 16 Texas A&M), Illinois stood pat at No. 9 in the new poll, while Florida State – which had a Week 3 bye – jumped ahead three spots, to No. 7, based on ... well, your guess is as good as ours.

The Seminoles upset Alabama in Week 1, which was all well and good, but you may recall that FSU went unranked in the preseason poll. In fact, they didn't receive a single nod from an AP voter. (Shout out to James Madison, Liberty and Louisiana-Lafayette, which all did.) The Noles skyrocketed into the rankings at No. 14 after the Bama upset, then moved to No. 10 after rag-dolling East Texas A&M. Apparently, the Bobby Bowden nostalgia is very high among the crusty AP poll voters.

(Not for nothing, but Illini Nation has nothing on Oregon fans right now. The Ducks should be apoplectic after sliding two spots following a 20-point win over Northwestern – a Big Ten road game – while Miami and Georgia, which barely slipped by Tennessee on Saturday, each moved ahead of them.)

Climbing the ladder from here becomes exponentially more difficult for Illinois. Not only are they largely dependent on a handful of exceptional teams tripping over themselves to create the opportunity, but the Illini also begin their Big Ten schedule this week at Indiana, which crept up three spots from No. 22 to 19 on the heels of its 73-0 destruction of Indiana State on Friday.

Still, the Illini received a measure of respect in the coaches poll (moving up to No. 8), and the fact that Illinois is even relevant in the conversation of college football top-10 machinations should be encouragement enough to keep Illini fans amped at least until Saturday's 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff in Bloomington and a primetime slot on NBC.

Upward trajectory. No. 8 in the @usatoday Coaches Poll. pic.twitter.com/bAKzTyhaRV

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) September 14, 2025

AP Top 25 college football poll

1. Ohio State, 2. Penn State, 3. LSU 4. Miami (Fla.), 5. Georgia, 6. Oregon, 7. Florida State, 8. Texas, 9. Illinois, 10. Texas A&M, 11. Oklahoma, 12. Iowa State, 13. Ole Miss, 14. Alabama, 15. Tennessee, 16. Utah, 17. Texas Tech, 18. Georgia Tech, 19. Indiana, 20. Vanderbilt, 21. Michigan, 22. Auburn, 23. Missouri, 24. Notre Dame, 25. USC.