The 2020 Illinois Fighting Illini football team was an American football team that represented the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their fifth and final season under head coach Lovie Smith, the Fighting Illini compiled a 2–6 record, finished in fifth place in the Big Ten's West Division, and were outscored by a total of 279 to 161. Prior to the team's final game, Smith was fired as head coach.