Illinois Football Leaps in ESPN's FPI Rankings After Polishing Off Duke

The Illini, who ranked No. 38 in ESPN's FPI standings last week, have risen into the top 25 after the Duke victory

Aug 29, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Xavier Scott (14) runs onto the field before the start of an NCAA game against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Illinois has done it. Finally, the Illini have entered the top 25 … of ESPN’s FPI rankings. Everything the program has been working for has finally come to fruition. The stamp of approval coach Bret Bielema and his team have been chasing for so long has, at long last, arrived.

OK, so maybe Bielema and the Illini don’t give – excuse my French – a flying hoot about ESPN’s analytics, but it sure is nice for Illinois fans to see the numbers beginning to respect their squad.

Heading into Illinois at Duke

Just one week ago, FPI pegged Illinois as the No. 38 team in the country, and the advanced metric even projected Duke as a slight favorite for Saturday’s game.

But in Week 2, Illinois seemingly proved its worth to the numbers-crunchers. In a 45-19 thrashing of the Blue Devils, the Illini displayed their full offensive package (albeit, none of it consistently), with quarterback Luke Altmyer throwing for 296 yards and three touchdowns on an efficient 22-for-31 showing, while the ground game went for 123 yards and three scores – nearly all of which came in the second half.

Luke Altmyer showed some love to the #Illini crowd after a big run late.

He's really good when playing with this type of swagger and confidence. pic.twitter.com/IJDxzzhYnM

— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) September 6, 2025

Also, the defense (and special teams) forced a mind-boggling five turnovers, and that, paired with the offense committing none of its own, likely played a heavy hand in boosting the Illini in the eyes of FPI.

Click here for the three key stats that may have decided Illinois at Duke

The Illini quickly rise

Aug 29, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) runs the ball against the Western Illinois Leathernecks during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

In Sunday’s update, Illinois skyrocketed up the FPI standings, climbing up to No. 24 – a 14-spot rise. In the process, the Illini surpassed four Big Ten teams (Michigan, Nebraska, Washington and Wisconsin), though they still trail five conference foes in Indiana (No. 16), Penn State (No. 7), USC (No. 5), Ohio State (No. 3) and Oregon – which, in a bit of a stunner, just moved up to No. 1.

Future outlook

Now, with Western Michigan on the docket next week, Illinois has another opportunity to clean up the mistakes that rose to the fore against high-major competition (notably the pass-protection difficulties) before meeting Indiana.

The Illini will travel to Bloomington for that matchup with the Hoosiers in Week 4, which many believe is the most high-stakes game the schools have contested on the gridiron. It will serve as not only a platform to climb the FPI rankings (for whatever that's worth) but also as a golden opportunity to win over the College Football Playoff committee and prove to a wider audience that Illinois belongs in the thick of the postseason conversation.