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Illinois Football: 5 Strengths for the 2016 Season

By Rees Woodcock

Nov 14, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; A general view of Memorial Stadium before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; A general view of Memorial Stadium before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 14, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; A general view of Memorial Stadium before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; A general view of Memorial Stadium before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

The Illinois football team is heading into the 2016 season with higher expectations than normal.

In the offseason, the Illini went through a big change in leadership.

They went from a coach who was at a MAC program before coming to Champaign, to a coach who has over a decade of NFL leadership experience.

This big leap into football relevance has revved up a fan base that needed it.

Illinois has a great fan base that just wants to see a winner on a consistent basis.  Are we expecting a National Championship in the next three years?

No, that would great, but what Illinois needs is to start winning and making bowl games every season.  That is not too much to ask.

A way to get to this level of success is to become good in all areas of the game.

Illinois is already good at a multitude of positions and is poised to bring winning back to the program.

After looking at the Illini and what they have built over the last few seasons, I have put together a list of the top five strengths heading into 2016.

Here are my top five strengths for the Illinois football team for this season.

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