2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Fighting Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Bret Bielema. The Illini finished the season 5–7, 4–5 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place in the West division.

2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
DivisionWest Division
Record5–7 (4–5 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorTony Petersen (1st season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorRyan Walters (1st season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Uniform
2021 Big Ten Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
East Division
No. 3 Michigan xy$^  8 1   12 2  
No. 6 Ohio State x  8 1   11 2  
No. 9 Michigan State  7 2   11 2  
Penn State  4 5   7 6  
Maryland  3 6   7 6  
Rutgers  2 7   5 8  
Indiana  0 9   2 10  
West Division
No. 23 Iowa xy  7 2   10 4  
Minnesota  6 3   9 4  
Wisconsin  6 3   9 4  
Purdue  6 3   9 4  
Illinois  4 5   5 7  
Nebraska  1 8   3 9  
Northwestern  1 8   3 9  
Championship: Michigan 42, Iowa 3
  • ^ College Football Playoff participant
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The team's 20–18 victory over No. 7-ranked Penn State set a NCAA record for the most overtime periods in one game, with nine.

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