Zach Clark (8:56 am)

This is the first of a weekly Summer Series that will examine every team in the Big Ten.  I will provide a preview of the schedule, a look at the incoming players and 2012 recruiting class, vital departures, predictions and, of course, some good ol' fashioned Buckeye bias and demeaning humor to those teams that are deserving.  Hopefully this can provide some sort of replacement for the deep, dark void you all must be feeling during this (dare I say it) college football offseason. Enjoy!

Team: 

Indiana Hoosiers

Head Coach:

Kevin Wilson (2nd Year at Indiana)
2011 Record: 1-11 (0-8 Conference)
Overall Head Coaching Record: 1-11 (0-8 Conference)

Schedule Preview:

The dreaded Indiana Hoosiers open up the 2012 season with three straight non-conference games (Indiana State, at Massachusetts, Ball State).  Hoosier faithful should be satisfied starting the season 2-1 with a sole loss coming against Ball State (see Coach Wilson’s 2011 opener debacle): 

A rare hot start such as this would already double Indiana’s win total from a year ago.  As far as the Hoosiers’ remaining 9 games, I expect a 2-7 record with possible wins week 8 at Navy and week 13 at Purdue.  I’m high on new Illini hire, Coach Tim Beckman, and I do not think the Hoosiers will be able to steal a win in Champaign this year, as it won’t take long for Coach Beckman to steer his squad away from the black hole referred to as the bottom of the Big Ten.  Although Indiana gets Michigan St, Ohio St, Iowa and Wisconsin at home, they do not yet have enough firepower to compete with the big boys.  As for why I think IU can take down Purdue, it is their final game of the regular season, and Purdue has been slipping into a nasty habit of not finishing the season very strong (3-4 in 2011 and 1-7 in 2010 in the last 8 games of the regular season).  Additionally, Indiana will be jacked up about defeating in-state rival Purdue and possibly ruining their bowl eligibility.  It will shock me if the Hoosiers finish the season with more than 3 or 4 wins, but who knows: Maybe it just takes a full year to get the Kevin Wilson plan for domination up and running…

Incoming Players:

According to Rivals.com, the Hoosier’s 2012 recruiting class is ranked 66th in the nation and 11th in the Big Ten.  After reviewing their 24 commitments, I noticed that the 2012 class contained 6 junior college commits, something I am certainly not used to seeing when following most Buckeye recruiting classes.  In fact, 3 of these junior college commits have the potential to start this Fall: Safety Ryan Thompson of Fulton, MS and linebackers Jacarri Alexander of Fort Dodge, IA and David Cooper of Coffeyville, KS.  Although Indiana’s 2012 class recruiting rankings do not appear to be too intimidating, Coach Wilson has gone national and locked up commitments from players from FL, TX, CA, AZ and many other states across the nation.  Let’s wait and see how he develops these young prospects.

Vital Departures:

The Hoosiers return the core of their starters from 2011, including 7 starters on offense and 8 on defense.  Quarterbacks Edward Wright-Baker and Dusty Kiel have left the Hoosier football program, largely due to Tre Roberson’s emergence as the starter in 2011 during his freshman season.  Fortunately for Indiana, they return their top 3 rushers and receivers in 2012.  On the defensive side of the ball, the Hoosiers lose linebackers Jeff Thomas and Leon Beckum, two of the teams leading tacklers and team leaders.  Despite playing in only 6 games due to a knee injury, Beckum recorded a shocking total of 53 tackles.  As The Senator would warn us all, the departure of a punter has a huge effect on a team.  We’ll see how the Hoosiers recoup after the loss of punter Adam Pines.

Zach’s Fun Prop Line for Hoosier Athletics:

2012 IU Basketball Losses > 2012 IU Football Wins

Yes: +300
No: -250

Predictions:

Overall Record: 4-8
Conference Record: 1-7
Offensive Team MVP: QB Tre Roberson
Defensive Team MVP: CB Greg Heban
Week 7 Buckeye-Hoosier Brawl Final Score: OSU 31 IU 10