Illinois Football cracks preseason top 25 for the first time in 17 years

Illinois football has been ranked as 12th in the 2025 preseason AP Poll after accumulating 713 points in the poll. This marks the first time since 2008 that the Illini have been included in a preseason poll. Their position at 12 lines up with their recent appearance on the USA Today Coaches poll. The top 25 features plenty of Big Ten schools, with Illinois being fourth amongst Big Ten powerhouses such as Oregon, Ohio State, and Penn State. The Illini are ranked two spots ahead of the 2024 national champions, Michigan, and six spots ahead of Big Ten foe Indiana.

This also marks the highest that Illinois football has been ranked in the AP Poll since 1990 when it came in at number 11. The Illini will open its season vs Western Illinois on August 29th.

Preseason expectations for Illinois Football

In a recent media appearance, head coach Bret Bielema stated,  “Some people give expectations, and that’s great, but for us at Illinois, we have to earn them. We have to have a chip on our left shoulder and our right shoulder. The way we’ve earned these expectations will be the way we earn success this year.”

However, with a senior starting QB in Luke Altmyer returning alongside key pieces on both sides of the ball, it is really hard to vote against Illinois Football. The depth of the team has not received enough discussion. Illinois has many players at each key position ready to fill in should injuries come into play and to help offload the current starters. That is the sign of a great team ready to capitalize and make a run at the College football playoffs.

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