Illinois football news: Fighting Illini snap longest Power 5 drought in country with AP Top 25 ranking

After the Kansas Jayhawks recently snapped their lengthy AP Top 25 drought, it was the Illinois football program with the longest Power 5 drought in the country. That is now over as well after the Fighting Illini’s wild 9-6 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday night in Champaign.

The latest AP Top 25 Poll has Illinois coming in at No. 24, marking the first time since 2011 they’ve been ranked. That was back when Ron Zook was the head coach.

Bret Bielema has done an excellent job with Illinois football this season, leading them to a 5-1 record overall and a 2-1 record in the Big Ten. The Fighting Illini are tied atop the Big Ten West with Purdue and Nebraska, and they boast one of the nation’s best defenses. In fact, Illinois ranks first in scoring defense. They also boast an excellent running game, with Chase Brown’s 879 yards leading the FBS.

This has been a long time coming for the Fighting Illini, who will try to keep this ranking when they face the Minnesota Golden Gophers next week. It’s unclear if starting quarterback Tommy DeVito will play after leaving the win over Iowa with an ankle injury.

Elsewhere in the AP Top 25 Poll, the Georgia Bulldogs returned to No. 1 after the Alabama Crimson Tide nearly lost to the Texas A&M Aggies. Alabama actually dropped down to No. 3, with the Ohio State Buckeyes moving up to No. 2. The Clemson Tigers are up to No. 4, with the Michigan Wolverines down to No. 5 despite a 21-point win over the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday.