CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois football team is in the AP Top 25, ranking 24th in this week’s poll. The Fighting Illini are ranked for the first time since 2011.
Illinois (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) is tied for first in the Big Ten West standings thanks to the highest-scoring defense in the nation and the nation’s leading rusher. brown chase has rushed for a nation-best 879 yards with 100-yard rushing performances in every game this season.
Illini’s defense ranks among the top 10 in the nation in scoring defense (first, 8.0), touchdowns allowed (first, 3), passing efficiency defense (first, 80.7), red zone defense (second, 55.6 %), total defense (3rd, 227.8), rushing defense (3rd, 67.2), fourth-down defense (4th, 12.5%), first downs allowed (6th, 74), aces (6th, 14), third-down defense (6th, 26.4%), interceptions (7th, 9), and pass defense (9th, 160.7). The Illini are the only team in the nation yet to allow a touchdown at home this season.
Illinois returns home this weekend to host Minnesota for Homecoming. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday at 11 am CT at Memorial Stadium.
AP Top 25
| Range | Equipment | points | Last game |
| 1 | Georgia | 1535 | W 42-10 H Auburn |
| two | Ohio State | 1507 | W 49-20 A State of Michigan |
| 3 | Alabama | 1489 | Wednesday 24-20 H Texas A&M |
| 4 | Clemson | 1348 | W 31-3 A Boston University |
| 5 | Michigan | 1319 | W 31-10 TO Indiana |
| 6 | Tennessee | 1232 | W 40-13 A #25 LSU |
| 7 | USC | 1214 | W 30-14 H Washington State |
| 8 | oklahoma state | 1150 | W 41-31 H Texas Tech |
| 9 | old lady | 1061 | W 52-28 A Vanderbilt |
| 10 | State of Pennsylvania | 974 | BYE |
| eleven | University of California at Los Angeles | 907 | W 42-32 H #11 Utah |
| 12 | Oregon | 893 | W 49-22A Arizona |
| 13 | TCU | 819 | W 38-31 A #19 Kansas |
| 14 | forest stele | 748 | W 45-10 H Army |
| fifteen | State of North Carolina | 746 | W 19-17 H State of Florida |
| sixteen | mississippi state | 589 | W 40-17 H Arkansas |
| 17 | state of kansas | 559 | W 10-9 A State of Iowa |
| 18 | Syracuse | 393 | BYE |
| 19 | Kansas | 330 | L 38-31 H #17 TCU |
| twenty | Utah | 328 | L 42-32 A #18 UCLA |
| twenty-one | Cincinnati | 257 | W 28-24 H South Florida |
| 22 | Kentucky | 150 | M 24-14 H South Carolina |
| Texas | 150 | W 49-0 TO Oklahoma | |
| 24 | Illinois | 117 | W 9-6 H Iowa |
| 25 | james madison | 105 | W 42-20 A State of Arkansas |