Illinois capped off the 2010 season with a 38-14 win over Baylor in the Texas Bowl to finish 7-6 overall. The Fighting Illini ended up 4-4 in the Big Ten, but very easily could have been 6-2. They lost 65-67 in triple-overtime against Michigan and fell 34-38 at home against Minnesota, two games where they had the lead late.  Head coach Ron Zook will look to build off last year’s success, but will have to do it with just 13 starters back.

Illinois was hit hard by players leaving early for the NFL, as running back Mikel Leshoure, middle linebacker Martez Wilson, and defensive tackle Corey Liuget all decided it was in their best interest to not come back for their senior season. Here is a closer look at what Illinois will bring to the table on both sides of the ball, plus my thoughts on where they finish in the Big 10 standings.

Offense:

Illinois has to be excited about the future of sophomore starting quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, who stepped in and really played well as a freshman. Scheelhaase started all 13 games, throwing for 1,825 yards with 17 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. He also was a huge factor in the running game, rushing for 868 yards and five scores. Illinois needs him to grow as a passer with the loss of Leshoure.

It looks as though the Fighting Illini will turn to senior Jason Ford at running back. Ford finished third on the team with 480 yards and seven touchdowns. It’s unlikely Ford will come close to Leshoure’s 1,697 yards and 17 touchdowns, but he does figure to be a huge part of the offense this season.

On the outside, Illinois welcomes back senior wide out A.J. Jenkins, who led the team with 56 catches for 746 yards and seven touchdowns. The rest of the receiving corps will be young, as sophomores Darius Millines and Ryan Lankford are expected to start alongside Jenkins, while sophomore tight end Evan Wilson returns to the starting lineup after a solid freshman season.

The offensive line loses both starters on the right side, but still figure to have a pretty solid unit up front. They have one of the top left tackles in the conference in senior Jeff Allen and a very good center in junior Graham Pocic. From the looks of it, senior Jack Cornell will take over at right guard, while redshirt freshman Michael Heitz steps in at right tackle.

Defense:

It won’t be easy for Illinois to replace Liuget on the defensive line, as he really blossomed into a star last year. They return sophomore Akeem Spence and will add in former offensive lineman Craig Wilson at defensive tackle, while juniors Michael Buchanan and Whitney Mercilus are projected to start at defensive end. Liuget was not only the best player on this unit, but he made everyone else around him better.

At linebacker Illinois figures to move senior Ian Thomas from the outside to middle linebacker, but that will leave both starting spots on the outside up for grabs. It looks as though sophomore Jonathan Brown and junior Ashante Williams will join Thomas in the starting lineup. These three have the difficult task of replacing both Wilson and outside linebacker Nate Bussey, who combined for 195 tackles in 2010.

While Illinois has a lot of talent to replace on the front seven, they do return three starters in the secondary, including the talented starting corner duo of junior Terry Hawthorne and senior Tavon Wilson. This unit will be much improved this season, but it really won’t matter if they can’t stop the run.

2011 Prediction: Fourth Big 10 Leaders – With improved quarterback play and a solid ground attack, Illinois should remain strong on the offensive side of the ball. The defense is a big question mark, as a number of new starters have to step in and play well for this unit to build off last year’s performance. They have a chance to surprise with four of their toughest games at home in conference play, but that also means they have to play well on the road, where they are 3-10 over the last three years.

For a more in-depth look at the Fighting Illini, check out our Illinois football predictions article. If you want to see where we have all 12 teams finishing in the conference, take a look at our 2011 Big 10 predictions.