No. 12 Illinois has claimed a spot in the preseason Top 25 poll for the first time since 2008.

That's a long time ago, but it pales in comparison to the last time Illinois pulled off back-to-back excellent seasons. That hasn't happened since John Mackovic was in charge, when the Jeff George-led 1989 team posted a 10-2 record and the following year's squad finished 8-4.

This year's Illini welcome back 16 starters from a 10-3 team that wound up 20th in the final College Football Playoff ranking. Hopes are high for a season that eclipses 8-4 and, indeed, lands Illinois its first CFP invitation.

The journey begins Friday night when Western Illinois, an FCS school picked to finish in the middle of the Big South/OVC pack, visits Champaign.

Illinois' offense boasts almost everybody from last

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