Illinois` 14-2 victory over Purdue last Saturday may not have been impressive, but the Illini nevertheless moved up three places, from 16th to 13th, in this week`s Associated Press college football Top 25 poll.
Contributing to Illinois` rise were the falls of Houston, from 8th to 16th, and Oklahoma, from 15th to 25th, on the heels of weekend losses.
Michigan State, which had been No. 21, dropped from the poll after its 10-7 loss to No. 5 Michigan, leaving the Illini and the Wolverines as the only Big 10 teams in the ratings.
Staying atop the poll was Notre Dame, followed by Miami, Colorado and Nebraska, all with unblemished 6-0 records.
Colorado did manage to turn one more voter its way, getting three first-place ballots after a 52-17 victory over Iowa State. That helped the Buffalos to 1,352 points, 22 behind Miami and 91 in back of Notre Dame. A week ago, Colorado was 57 points behind Miami and trailed Notre Dame by 123.
Notre Dame`s first-place votes slipped from 54 to 52 after the Irish defeated Air Force 41-27.
