Illinois’ stellar run came to an abrupt halt on Saturday when they lost to the Michigan State Spartans in Champaign, but they are still ranked in the top-25 poll.
The Fighting Illini, who came into the game on a six-game winning streak and sitting in the No. 14 spot in the AP rankings, lost 23-15 to the Spartans on Saturday, which led to them being dropped to No. 21 in the latest poll released Sunday.
Even with the loss, Illinois is still in the driver’s seat in the Big Ten’s west division, with divisional games remaining against Purdue and Northwestern. Illinois also has a road game left against Michigan, who jumped to No. 3 in the latest AP poll.
The Illini were leapfrogged by several teams, including a Liberty squad that defeated Arkansas in Fayetteville, as well as a Notre Dame team that blew out previously No. 4 Clemson in South Bend.
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Tulane moved up to No. 16 thanks to a 27-13 win over Tulsa, and North Carolina State’s win over Wake Forest propelled them back to No. 17.
Thanks to a blowout win over Indiana, Penn State is now No. 14 in the nation.
Two of the top-three teams in the country now play in the Big Ten, with Ohio State at No. 2 and Michigan at No. 3.
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Undefeated TCU is now No. 4, with Tennessee dropping to No. 5 after they lost to Georgia in Athens. The Bulldogs are now the No. 1 team in the country, receiving 62-of-63 first place votes.
LSU, by virtue of their win over Alabama, moved up to No. 7, while the Crimson Tide dropped to No. 10.
