Illinois entered the season in search of improvement upon a 2–10 record in 2006, and secured bowl-eligibility the first time since 2001 with a homecoming win over Ball State.

Mizzou jumped out to a 37–13 lead late in the third quarter, before backup quarterback Eddie McGee led the Illini to 21 straight points.

The Illini returned to Memorial Stadium to face FCS Western Illinois in the home opener.

Two Jason Reda field goals put the Illini on the board before Juice Williams found Michael Hoomanawanui in the endzone.

But with a minute left, Vontae Davis picked off Lewis in the endzone, securing a 27–14 Illinois victory, their first in a Big Ten opener since 1993 and their first in Bloomington since 2001.

Penn State scored first with a field goal, but Arrelious Benn returned the ensuing kick-off 90 yards for a touchdown, putting Illinois up 7–3.

Illinois' victory marked their first over a ranked opponent since the 2001 season and gives the Illini a 4-game win streak, also their longest since 2001.

In the fourth quarter, trailing 10–6, Eddie McGee appeared to complete an 82-yard pass for a touchdown, but an ineligible receiver downfield penalty negated the would-be go-ahead score.

With two minutes left, Eddie McGee drove the Illini to the Iowa 11-yard line, but threw an interception to seal the win for the Hawkeyes.

[citation needed] As of 2018, this is the last time Illinois has beaten Ohio State, as the Buckeyes have won the last 9 games in the series, including the last 4 in Columbus.

After jumping out to a 14–0 lead, the Illini played redshirt freshmen for the remainder of the game cruising to a 44–22 victory.

The Illini offense was led by sophomore quarterback "Juice" Williams, who in the regular season passed for 13 touchdowns and ran for seven, junior running back Rashard Mendenhall, who averaged 127 yards rushing per game and scored 18 touchdowns, and freshman receiver Arrelious Benn, who caught 49 passes and had 158 yards in 32 carries.