With a 45-19 win over Duke in Week 2, Illinois finds itself at No. 9 in the updated AP college football rankings. Head coach Bret Bielema understandably gives quarterback Luke Altmyer the majority of the credit for the Fighting Illini's success.
Despite Illinois' success, Bielema feels that Altmyer is not getting the credit he deserves as one of the best quarterbacks in college football. The veteran head coach called his signal-caller “as good as any quarterback” in the country, including the NFL.
“He is very diligent with his preparation,” Bielema said on Sirius XM radio. “Every defense we go against, you think they know the play call and what they're doing, but I would say I think Luke's probably got the teams that we compete against down as good as anybody that I've been around… He's at a 64 percent completion percentage or higher, which is just an incredibly talented number. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is over four-to-one, which, if you're a good NFL quarterback, 2.5-to-one is good, three is really good, [but] he's at a four-to-one.
“He's throwing out numbers — and obviously his winning percentage is very good as well — as good as any quarterback in college football, as well as the NFL. Numbers are just numbers — it's the results that matter. But he's a very talented quarterback that a lot of people don't realize just how good he is.”
For the first time since 2001, @IlliniFootball are a top 10 team! 🟠🔵
HC @BretBielema praises his QB Luke Altmyer and says he's a big reason for the team's success.@ESPN_Schick | @BigAntHerron | #B1GThisAM pic.twitter.com/6LrpTREKdj
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) September 10, 2025
Through two games, Altmyer has 513 passing yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He is currently the Big Ten's third-leading passer on the year, trailing USC's Jayden Maiava and Nebraska's Dylan Raiola.
Bret Bielema prepares Illinois, Luke Altmyer for Week 3
Coming off the win over Duke, Illinois will enter its next matchup with a top-10 ranking for the first time since 2001. The Fighting Illini return home in Week 3, where they face Western Michigan.
Illinois has had no trouble in either of its first two games of the 2025 college football season. The Illini dusted Western Illinois in Week 1, 52-3, before taking care of business against Duke. They were only favored to beat the Blue Devils by three points, but took control in the second half to secure a 45-19 victory.
Illinois gets a softer Week 3 matchup, but it will serve as the team's final tune-up before entering conference play. Bielema will lead the Illini into a massive Week 4 clash with Indiana, which begins Week 3 at No. 22 in the AP poll.
