No. 22 Iowa Hosts Illinois in First Ranked Game in 5 Years

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is ranked for the first time in five years.

With a win in Iowa City on Saturday, Illinois could make the Hawkeyes stay in the Top 25 a short one — and serve notice that it's an early contender in the Big Ten West.

The 22nd-ranked Hawkeyes (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) host the Illini in a matchup that's much more intriguing than it looked like it would be in August.

Iowa has been revitalized by the sweeping changes made by longtime coach Kirk Ferentz. Its defense has been among the best in league, holding Wisconsin to just a pair of field goals in last week's 10-6 win.

Illinois (4-1, 1-0) is fresh off what was technically a 14-13 upset of Nebraska at home last week.

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