The 1998 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign during the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. They participated as members of the Big Ten Conference. Their home games were played at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. The team's head coach was Ron Turner, who was in his second season with the Illini. Illinois had a record of 3–8 and failed to make a bowl game.