After their second straight loss, the Illini fell all the way down to No. 22 in Monday’s AP Poll.
Illinois went 0-1 in its only matchup last week, dropping a home contest against No. 15 Ohio State six days after the Illini fell to Maryland at home.
They’ll look to regroup this week with a home matchup against Penn State on Tuesday and a road clash with Michigan State on Saturday. After those two games, Illinois’ schedule gets a whole lot tougher. The Illini welcome No. 4 Iowa to town to wrap up January and then face ranked opponents in five of their final eight meetings to end the season.