It's been a few weeks since we've had to pay any attention to the rankings around here, but after wins against both Indiana and Minnesota last week there was an outside chance that the Illini could sneak back into the polls.

Well, they didn't.

However, they are once again receiving votes. Sure, they're not in the top 25 of the AP Poll, but after receiving 26 points we can pretend the Illini are ranked #35 if we want.

As for the Coaches Poll, it's pretty much the same story. The Illini aren't ranked, but they did receive enough votes for 10 points, which would give them the hypothetical #37 ranking.

As for when or if the Illini can crack the top 25 again, I don't think two wins against Purdue and Northwestern this week would be quite enough, but they would certainly help. So they should try to do that.

Follow The Champaign Room on Twitter at @Champaign_Room. You can follow Tom Fornelli on Twitter at @TomFornelli.