The Illinois Fighting Illini were 7-4 in 1981.
| GP | PTS | YDS | PLY | AVG | RUSH YDS | RUSH ATT | RUSH AVG | PASS YDS | PASS ATT | PASS AVG | SCK | SCKY | 1DWN | RUSH 1DWN | PASS 1DWN | PEN 1DWN | PEN | PEN YDS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | 11 | 287 | 4,514 | 791 | 5.7 | 1,116 | 382 | 2.9 | 3,398 | 409 | 8.3 | ||||||||
Team Rank | 26th | 14th | 58th | 9th | 122nd | 126th | 110th | 3rd | 14th | 8th | |||||||||
Opponent | 11 | 288 | 3,951 | 4.5 | 1,650 | 514 | 3.2 | 2,301 | 357 | 6.4 | |||||||||
Opponent Rank | 117th | 95th | 67th | 59th | 76th | 48th | 125th | 130th | 78th | ||||||||||
Net | -1 | +563 | +791 | +1.2 | -534 | -132 | -0.3 | +1,097 | +52 | +1.9 | |||||||||
Net Rank | 73rd | 43rd | 58th | 17th | 96th | 114th | 81st | 8th | 41st | 9th |
| Big 10 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 0 | 1.000 | |
| 2 | 11 | 0 | 1.000 |
| American Athletic | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 1 | .909 | |
| 2 | 9 | 2 | .818 |
| Independent | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 2 | .818 | |
| 2 | 9 | 3 | .750 |
| Pac-12 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 9 | .182 | |
| 2 | 5 | 6 | .455 |
| Mountain West | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 2 | .818 | |
| 2 | 7 | 4 | .636 |
| Big 12 | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 1 | .909 | |
| 2 | 10 | 1 | .909 |
| Mid-American | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 4 | .667 | |
| 2 | 7 | 4 | .636 |
| Conference USA | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 4 | .636 | |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | .727 |
| Sun Belt | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 1 | .909 | |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | .727 |