Illinois received the fourth-most voting points of the program’s outside the preseason 2026 Top 25 Coaches poll.

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois will begin the 2026 season just outside the Top 25 Coaches poll.

Following a 9-4 season in 2025 and program-record 19 wins over the last two seasons, the Illini received the fourth-most voting points in the preseason coaches’ poll, which was released Tuesday morning.

Ohio State, which hosts Illinois on Sept. 26 for the Big Ten Conference opener for both programs, leads the preseason coaches poll for the first time since 2015 as the Buckeyes were picked first by 38 coaches on the panel. Just four teams have started and finished the season at top of the rankings since USA TODAY took over administering the coaches poll in 1991.

Oregon was picked for the second spot, its highest starting point in program history, after the Ducks received six first-place votes.

The third and fourth spots in the poll were Georgia, the defending Southeastern Conference champion, and Texas, last year’s preseason No. 1. Notre Dame edged out defending national champion Indiana for the fifth position by a mere two voting points, though the Fighting Irish received just five first-place votes, while the Hoosiers claimed 14 — the second-most among all teams. The poll had six schools receiving multiple first-place votes, which was the first time for that occurrence since 2008.

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema will not be among the 72 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches submitting a weekly ballot this season as the sixth-year head coach said last year that he prefers to not vote in the coaches poll. Each coach submits a Top 25 with a first-place vote worth 25 points, second place 24, and so on down to one point for 25th.

The SEC leads all conferences with nine ranked teams, thanks to Missouri narrowly edging out Louisville for the No. 25 spot with the Big Ten having eight teams in the poll (Ohio State 1, Oregon 2, Indiana 6, Southern California 14, Michigan 16, Penn State 17, Washington 19 and Iowa at 22). Texas Tech, at No. 12, led a group of four ranked Big 12 Conference members. The Atlantic Coast Conference had only three, with No. 23 Clemson in its lowest starting position since 2011.

2026 US LBM Coaches Poll preseason Top 25 rankings

1. Ohio State (38 first-place votes)
2. Oregon (6)
3. Georgia (7)
4. Texas (2)
5. Notre Dame (5)
6. Indiana (14)
7. Miami
8. Texas A&M
9. Oklahoma
10. Mississippi
11. Alabama
12. Texas Tech
13. LSU
14. Southern California
15. Brigham Young
16. Michigan
17. Penn State
18. Tennessee
19. Washington
20. SMU
21. Utah
22. Iowa
23. Clemson
24. Houston
25. Missouri

Others receiving votes (in order of ranking points): Louisville; Florida; TCU; Illinois; Arizona; South Carolina; Virginia; Vanderbilt; Auburn; Georgia Tech; Boise State; Oklahoma State; UNLV; Florida State; North Carolina State; Nebraska; Virginia Tech; Memphis; Arizona State; Duke; James Madison; New Mexico; Pittsburgh; Navy; Western Michigan; San Diego State; California; Hawaii; Jacksonville State; Kansas State.