1 week Ago
Sign up for our daily Illini football newsletter here Greetings from "Can't Wait For Saturday," your morning morsel of college football, courtesy of longtime Illini beat writer, AP Top 25 voter and Heisman state rep Bob Asmussen. He'll give you his views each day on the game he loves *** The Illinois football team just missed going from no votes in The Associated Press poll one week to into the Top 25 the next. Technically, Bret Bielema's guys are No.
26 with 101 points. Northern Illinois is No. 25 with 114.
I have been a part of the voting panel since 2009, so I have seen the trends. I'm 90 percent sure if Illinois takes care of Central Michigan on Saturday to improve to 3-0, it will move into the Top 25. Again, based on my own experience, one thing voters do when one of Top 25 teams loses is look to the "also receiving votes" list.
Now, Illinois is first in that category. Going into Saturday, I didn't plan to put Illinois on my ballot with a win against No. 19 Kansas.
I changed my mind in part because the team has played winning defense its first two games, a change from 2023. Who should Illinois fans thank for all the votes? Well, 17 others joined me and put Illinois on their ballots. The highest ranking was No.
18 by Brian Howell of the Boulder (Colo.) Daily Camera (good name) and David Jablonski of the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News. Dylan Sinn of the of the Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne, Ind.
, ranked Illinois No. 19. Illinois didn't make the ballot of 34 voters.
That figures to drop with a win Saturday..
