2020 Illinois
2–6 (2–6 Big Ten), coached by Lovie Smith, then Rod Smith (interim, remainder of season). Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Nebraska 41–23Nov 21
By 18 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Rutgers 23–20Nov 14
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23 | at 14Wisconsin | L 7–45 | 19% |
| Oct 31 | vs Purdue | L 24–31 | 50% |
| Nov 7 | vs Minnesota | L 14–41 | 36% |
| Nov 14 | at Rutgers | W 23–20 | 44% |
| Nov 21 | at Nebraska | W 41–23 | 31% |
| Dec 5 | vs 24Iowa | L 21–35 | 25% |
| Dec 12 | at 15Northwestern | L 10–28 | 26% |
| Dec 19 | at Penn State | L 21–56 | 21% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Penn State 56–21; unranked in the final AP poll; 14th in the Big Ten.
In program history: The 109th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).
- Record
- 2–6
- Conference
- 2–6 14th in Big Ten
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 161–279
- Coach
- Lovie Smith, then Rod Smith (interim, remainder of season)
- Elo
- 1412 −37 this season
- SP+ rating
- -5.4 No. 90 of 130; offense No. 100, defense No. 73
- SRS
- −7.4 No. 58 of 77 in FBS
- Returning
- 84% of last season’s EPA, No. 18 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 87 roster talent No. 39 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Rod Smith
- Offense
- Multiple
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.08 | 38% | 1.35 | 75th of 127 |
| Defense | 0.25 | 51% | 1.14 | 114th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.12 off 0.22 def | 39% off 49% def | — | 60th off 123rd def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 2.9 | own 28 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 4.4 | own 27 | 14% caused |
CORE rating -8.1, 93rd of 127 (offense 2.0, defense 10.1).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Brandon Peters QB | 429 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Isaiah Williams WR | 4 TD |
| Rushing yards | Chase Brown RB | 539 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Mike Epstein RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Josh Imatorbhebhe WR | 297 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Brian Hightower WR | 3 TD |
| Tackles | Jake Hansen LB | 67 tkl |
| Sacks | Owen Carney Jr. LB | 5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Devon Witherspoon DB | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Reggie Love III RB | ★★★ | No. 426 |
| James Frenchie WR | ★★★ | No. 446 |
| Tre’von Riggins DT | ★★★ | No. 822 |
| Cooper Davis SDE | ★★★ | No. 908 |
| Deuce Spann DUAL | ★★★ | No. 919 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.860 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.888 |
| Receivers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.886 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Defensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.855 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 2.7 | 0.793 |
| Whole class | 13 | 2.9 | 0.842 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2021
The 2021 draft| Rd 3 | Kendrick Green C | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Rd 5 | Nate Hobbs CB | Las Vegas Raiders |
Roster 111
The 2020 roster111 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 65 have a stat line. See the roster
All-Big Ten
1 first team, 2 second teamFirst team
Kendrick GreenOGCoaches-1; Media-1
Second team
Owen CarneyDLCoaches-2; Media-2- Jake HansenLBCoaches-3; Media-2
From Wikipedia’s 2020 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
2020 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ohio State | 5–0 | 7–1 | 2 |
| Northwestern | 6–1 | 7–2 | 10 |
 Indiana | 6–1 | 6–2 | 12 |
| Iowa | 6–2 | 6–2 | 16 |
| Wisconsin | 3–3 | 4–3 | |
| Penn State | 4–5 | 4–5 | |
| Minnesota | 3–4 | 3–4 | |
 Maryland | 2–3 | 2–3 | |
| Nebraska | 3–5 | 3–5 | |
| Rutgers | 3–6 | 3–6 | |
 Michigan | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
| Purdue | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
 Michigan State | 2–5 | 2–5 | |
| Illinois | 2–6 | 2–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.