While Kansas was off making most of the college football world drop their jaws in adoration last season, something special was also happening in Champaign, Illinois, as the Illinois Fighting Illini quietly were winning game after game behind the bull running of Rashard Mendenhall and a stingy defense. But they were squarely put on the map after they upended number 1 Ohio State–in the horseshoe no less–and propelled them to a BCS game versus big bad USC. Illinois quickly learned what it meant to play in a BCS game against a team that probably should have been playing in the national championship, getting trounced in the Rose Bowl in almost humiliating fashion.

Now, Mendenhall has bolted for the NFL, and the defense looks a little more shakier than last year. Still, hopes for the Illini to do big things again this year are still high, as the team brings back double threat Juice Williams at quarterback and Big 10 Frosh of the year Arrelious Benn. The defense also has one of the better front four in the Big 10 and will be counted on making big plays as the secondary is young and inexperienced overall.

Running back is a huge hole, as there really isn’t a clear cut leader or someone who will be able to be one-tenth as consistent as Mendenhall was. Likewise, after Benn, the Illini are really thin at wide receiver, and it didn’t help that Kyle Hudson opted to play pro baseball rather than stay in school.

The schedule this year really doesn’t do the Illini many favors, as they play neutrally against Missouri who will be ranked preseason within the top 10, and they have road games in Happy Valley, the Big House, Wisconsin, and Northwestern, a place they’ve had quite the achilles heel over the years. It’s pretty far flung to think that the Illini will win 9 games again this year, but they should be able to get 7 pretty comfortably, and they should go bowling once again for the second straight year under Ron Zook.