Where Illinois Ranks Among Big Ten Teams in ESPN’s Post-Spring Top 25

With the SEC’s domination on the court making so many headlines last season, the Big Ten's overthrowing of the SEC's efforts on the gridiron has largely been swept under the rug.

After sending four programs (more than any other conference in the NCAA) to the first-ever College Football Playoff – including the top overall seed in Oregon and the eventual national champion in Ohio State, it appears the Big Ten has slowly crept past the SEC on the football field.

The critics will say, of course, that it was only one year.

But in the eyes of one college football expert – ESPN’s Mark Schlabach – the Big Ten may be challenging the SEC again in 2025, as four squads from each conference landed in his top 12, including Penn State at No. 1 and Illinois at No. 11.

The Nittany Lions earned the top overall spot for a reason: the return of their three-headed offensive monster. Penn State rarely struggles on the defensive side of the football, but the offense often goes stagnant when the lights are the brightest.

That shouldn’t be a problem this year. The return of star quarterback Drew Allar and college football’s premier 1-2 running back punch of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton all but assures it.

Meanwhile, the Illini return 76 percent of last season’s production, ranking third among all FBS teams in that marker. Schlabach also points out that Illinois “added a handful of veteran defensive linemen from the transfer portal.”