Illinois had high hopes heading into its 2009 campaign, but those hopes quickly vanished when the Illini won only one of their first seven games. The Illini would finish their campaign at 3-9 for a second straight losing season.

While there were plenty of Illinois fans calling for Ron Zook's head following last season, the school decided to give him a chance to turn things around. Zook is hopeful that new coordinators Paul Petrino and Vic Koenning will help him do just that.

No one expects Illinois to contend for a Big 10 title in 2010, but the program does expect Zook to put a better product on the field this year. But even if he does, it may not show up in the win column, as Illinois must play eight schools that earned bowl bids last season.

 

Offense

While Juice Williams didn't have the senior season most expected, he is still going to be missed as Illinois breaks in redshirt freshman Nathan Scheelhaase this year. Williams finished second in school history with 56 career touchdown strikes and provided the kind of leadership that only an experienced signal-caller can.

I expect plenty of ups and downs from Scheelhaase this year, but the 2008 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year has a chance to be better than Williams.

The Illini finished No. 2 in the Big 10 in rushing offense last season, racking up 200.4 yards per game on the ground. With three of the offensive lineman back, and running back Mikel LeShoure, the Illini should be able to move the ball on the ground again this season.

LeShoure appears poised for a monster season after rushing for 734 yards and five touchdowns on 6.8 yards per carry last year.

When Illinois looks to the air, it will be calling the number of Jarred Fayson. The Florida transfer only hauled in 16 passes in his first season in Champagne, but the coaching staff believes this is a guy capable of 50-plus catches in 2010.

 

Defense

The Illinois defense was the worst in the Big 10 in 2009, allowing 30.2 points and 403.3 yards per game. It was especially poor in pass defense, finishing No. 10 in the conference in that category.

The good news is there's reason to believe the Illini can do a better job against the pass in 2010.

Cornerbacks Terry Hawthorne and Tavon Wilson both made youthful mistakes last season. They got an education in 2009, and I expect both players to be much better in coverage this year. I really like what Hawthorne brings to the table.

Illinois needs a better pass rush, and that means that Clay Nurse needs to better than the 5.5 sacks he recorded last season. Considering four of those sacks came against Minnesota, he didn't bring nearly enough heat a year ago.

Joining Nurse up front is tackle Corey Liuget, who is an All-Big Ten-caliber talent in my mind.

The linebacker unit struggled in 2009 after losing middle linebacker Martez Wilson to injury. He'll be back in 2010, allowing Ian Thomas to move over to his outside post where he will be even more effective.

 

Prediction: Ninth in the Big 10

Illinois has some work to do, considering seven of last season's nine losses came by double-digits. With that said, I do expect Illinois to put a better team on the field this season. Because of a challenging schedule, making a bowl game might be a stretch, but a 5-7 campaign seems very doable. 

College football odds makers have listed Illinois at +2000 to win the Big 10 Conference. Be sure to check out my 2010 Big 10 football predictions to see how I have the rest of the league shaping up.