The Last Time Illinois Football Took Down The Nations No. 1?

It’s been nearly two decades since Illinois Football last stunned the college football world by knocking off the nation’s top-ranked team.

On November 10^th, 2007, Ron Zook’s underdog Illini marched into the Horseshoe and silenced over 100,000 fans by handing Jim Tressel and the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes their only loss of the 2007 regular season, en route to a National Championship appearance. That 28–21 nail-biter was a defining moment in program history, which further propelled Illinois all the way to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1983-84.

Fast forward to 2025, and history seems to be setting the stage once again.

Ryan Day’s No. 1 Buckeyes roll into Champaign for Week 7, bringing along FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff Show and the Barstool Sports crew for the second time this season to amplify an already highly anticipated matchup. For Bret Bielema’s 17th-ranked Illini, it’s a rare opportunity to shock the nation against a powerhouse program and put the Fighting Illini’s College Football Playoff destiny in their own hands. It’ll be very interesting to see how this heavily veteran Illinois squad will respond to a low-pressure, nothing-to-lose-ish scenario at home.

Will this sold-out crowd be storming Zuppke Field on Saturday? History proves it’s certainly possible.

Looking Back: When Illinois Football Shocked the Top-Ranked Buckeyes

Following a disappointing 2–10 season in 2006, Coach Ron Zook’s Illini bounced back in a big way. They entered Columbus with an 8–3 record and ranked wins over No. 21 Penn State and No. 5 Wisconsin. Facing the undefeated, top-ranked Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium, Illinois — led by quarterback Isiah “Juice” Williams and stars like J Leman, Rashard Mendenhall, Arrelious Benn, and Vontae Davis — delivered one of the program’s greatest victories, and one of college football’s most unforgettable upsets.

Juice threw for 140 yards and totaled four touchdowns on the day against the #1 Buckeyes.  This included a masterful final drive to slowly grind out the final 5+ minutes of clock. Rashard Mendenhall and Daniel Dufrene powered a deadly rushing attack with a combined 276 rushing yards on 51 carries. On the other side of the ball, Davis, Lehman, and the Illini defense held the electric Ohio State offense, led by QB Todd Boeckman, to a 13/23 completion rate, 336 total yards of offense, and 3 interceptions.

The victory silenced the 100,000+ sorely disappointed Buckeye fans at the Horseshoe and instantly became a fan favorite moment in Illini lore.

So, will history repeat itself on Saturday? The opportunity for Illinois Football to make a statement is undoubtedly exciting.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini! The Armchair team is proud to partner with Hamilton Walker’s Seafood and Spirits. Reserve your table HERE. Enter our home game giveaways on our social media pages to win a $100 gift card.

We are also proud to partner with the Campus Ink Illini NIL Store! Use the code: ARMCHAIRILLINI for 15% off your purchase. 

Please subscribe to the Armchair Illini Podcast on YouTube HERE.

Above all, for feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at alexkyi13@gmail.com. Additionally, please use our Seatgeek code for $20 off your purchase on Seatgeek.com: ARMCHAIRILLINOIS. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing Illinois media outlets around.

Finally, subscribe to our newsletter here for more Illinois football news! Go Illini