In a game that serves as an opportunity for both teams to improve their profiles and bring into focus more precisely where they stand in the Big Ten, No. 22 Illinois (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) welcomes No. 24 Michigan (4-2, 2-1) to Champaign on Saturday in the first AP Top 25 ranked-versus-ranked matchup at Memorial Stadium since 2000.

Illinois' win over No. 24 Michigan was its first against a ranked Wolverines team since 1983 and its third win against an AP-ranked opponent this season, tying its most since 1950.

Bielema's salary ranking among the Big Ten shows how much the league's schools must pay to keep the top coaches. USC's Lincoln Riley and Ohio State's Ryan Day lead the Big Ten with total pay of just more than $10 million, both in the top five nationally.

Time gets away from us all, and in the what-have-you-done-for-me-today world of college football, it moves even faster. The game is an ever-increasing grind, the coaching churn to be expected. Before you know it,

Ahead of Saturday’s game against Michigan, Illinois coach Bret Bielema has continued to stack up honors through the season’s first month. Bielema, who is in his fourth season in Champaign, was recognized on the Dodd Trophy Watch List and the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year midseason Watch List earlier this week.