There’s a new sheriff in town.

After a 2-6 season in 2020, Illinois decided to part ways with Lovie Smith and bring in seasoned head coach Bret Bielema. It’s already created quite a bit of buzz and excitement around Champaign. Will it result in wins quickly?

Illinois has one of the more experienced teams in the B1G, but it’s also a team that hasn’t enjoyed much success over the past decade-plus. Bielema is a breath of fresh air and players seem to be buying in, but there’s also some hesitation to not get hopes too high for the first year of a new coaching regime.

The Fighting Illini will be all over the college football landscape on Saturday, kicking off the college football season against Nebraska. Before we get to kickoff, let’s look at 5 bold predictions for Illinois this year:

1. Two TEs are among the top four pass-catchers

Illinois has two really talented tight ends in Daniel Barker and Luke Ford. Why not use them? That’s what Bielema will do, and with an unproven wide receiver room, it shouldn’t be too surprising to see both Barker and Ford get a lot of targets from Brandon Peters.

Barker has caught 46 passes for 625 yards and 7 touchdowns in 3 seasons and has proven to be a reliable option in the passing game. Ford hasn’t seen nearly as many opportunities, but he did show signs making significant contributions during Illinois’ spring game.

The Illini will have a primary wide receiver who will be the No. 1 option for Peters this season. Outside of that top target, look for Illinois to hit its tight ends quite a bit this fall.

2. Jake Hansen finishes the season as the B1G’s leading tackler

He tried to fight it, but Bielema was too convincing. Despite initially declaring for the NFL Draft, Hansen opted to return to Illinois for one more season. With him comes 243 total tackles, 26 for loss, 10 forced fumbles and 3 interceptions. Essentially, Hansen is everywhere when he’s on the field.

Hansen has talked about having unfinished business and wanting to leave Illinois on a positive note. Sure, that probably translates to team success, but leading the league in tackles would be another accomplishment which would fit the description.

Most of the top tacklers from the B1G last season have moved on. Hansen is back with plenty of talent and a ton of experience. I think he’ll top the charts in total stops.

3. Offenses still have success against Illinois on the ground

The defense should look better than it did last season. Having said that, Illinois was atrocious against the run. The Fighting Illini surrendered a B1G-worst 230.1 yards per game in 2020, as well as 17 touchdowns on the ground. That doesn’t correct itself overnight.

Illinois should find more success against the run this year, especially with so many key contributors and experienced players returning. But it’s still going to be difficult for the Illini to stop high-powered running games from Wisconsin, Minnesota,  Penn State and others on the schedule.

Can Illinois be better against the run? Yes. Will it be good at stopping it? Probably not.

4. Illinois wins all nonconference games for the first time in a decade

Care to guess the last time Illinois went undefeated in nonconference play? That would be 2011, you know, when the B1G still played only 8 conference games and allowed teams to schedule 4 non-league contests. Despite having mostly-favorable schedules outside of B1G competition, the Illini haven’t been able to post a perfect record.

That changes this year.

Illinois has an incredibly favorable nonconference slate, playing UTSA, Virginia and Charlotte. Obviously, UVA is the team that poses the biggest threat to the Fighting Illini this year, but the Cavaliers have lacked consistency, too. I believe Illinois is more talented than all three of those squads and will have a perfect nonconference record for the first time in a decade.

5. Bowl eligible in Bielema’s first season

Am I a little too optimistic on Bielema’s return to the B1G? Probably. But I’ve also seen scenarios like this pay off before. Jeff Brohm got Purdue to bowl eligibility in his first year in 2017. Greg Schiano helped Rutgers snap a 21-game conference losing streak and won three B1G games a season ago.

Illinois going bowling isn’t as crazy as it sounds.

Bielema inherits an experienced football team that flashed potential in 2019. That team finished 6-7 and showed signs of progress but was derailed again in 2020. If Bielema already has the buy-in from his players, that’s a huge step in the right direction. Illinois also has a pretty favorable schedule with a weaker nonconference slate and drawing Maryland and Rutgers in crossover games. The Fighting Illini can easily hit the 6-win mark.