The 1953 Illinois Fighting Illini football team, under head coach Ray Eliot, finished in second place in the Big Ten with a 7–1–1, led the conference with 25.3 points allowed per game, and was ranked No.
Minnesota quarterback Paul Giel was a consensus first-team All-American and received the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the Big Ten's most valuable player for the second consecutive year.
Key AP final = Team's rank in the final AP Poll of the 1953 season[1] AP high = Team's highest rank in the AP Poll throughout the 1953 season[1] PPG = Average of points scored per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold[1] PAG = Average of points allowed per game; conference leader's average displayed in bold[1] MVP = Most valuable player as voted by players on each team as part of the voting process to determine the winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy; trophy winner in bold On January 1, 1954, Michigan State defeated the UCLA, 28–20, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Michigan State halfback Billy Wells was named the Rose Bowl player of the game.
At the end of the 1953 season, Big Ten players secured three of 11 consensus first-team picks for the 1953 College Football All-America Team.