Illinois Football: An early look at the Illini offense in 2020

The Illinois football team is building their program into a contender in the Big Ten whether critics like it or not.

The team that Lovie Smith and the coaching staff are building will be good. They will make bowl games and it wouldn’t shock me if they eventually crack the top 25 in the next couple of years. That is how highly I think of the roster we are going to be putting out on the field.

There was a lot of criticism of the coaching staff when they started true freshmen over some players who were more experienced and more talented. There were some growing pains for sure. But that game plan of Lovie’s back in 2016 and 2017 is going to start paying off. Those young players have a lot of playing experience and are ready to dominate the Big Ten.

Illinois has added a few big-time transfers on offense as well. Some of the transfers will help in 2019, but 2020 is the year that I expect these weapons to work the best for the program. Adding these pieces put the Illini over the top.

I think the 2019 campaign is going to be a bowl run, but I believe 2020 is when everything is going to come together to the point we are contenders to make the Big Ten Championship game.

Here is what the Illini offense will look like in 2020.