The Fighting Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference.

On July 9, 2020, the Big Ten announced that member teams will only play conference games in effort to reduce issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[2] On August 11, the Big Ten canceled the college football season for the fall of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[6] Prior to the team's final game, Smith was relieved of his coaching duties.

Illinois had games scheduled against Illinois State, UConn, and Bowling Green, but canceled these games on July 9 due to the Big Ten Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.