The thread about Phil Steele's prediction got me thinking. Plus, I have seen a lot of people posting, hoping, or expecting (me included) for IU to go 4-0 this pre-B1G season. Many have said its a must for us to go bowling or for it to at least be considered the start of a successful season. I've seen others predicting a 3-1 or 2-2 start. The reality is that the WKU game is probably going to be very tough, even at home...and anytime you go on the road, even if its Wake Forest, its going to be a challenge. That said, I usually look at the start of the season as a 3-0 or 4-0 possibility.
It used to seem like a given that IU would open the season with two to three wins, especially in the latter part of the 2000's. I just looked it up. I think the reason this seems to be familiar to me is there were a few years under Hoeppner, and mostly Lynch, where IU began 2-0 and 3-0. In fact, Lynch never had a season where he didn’t open up at least 2-0, and three times he opened 3-0. Besides that, it would be fairly unprecedented for IU to go 4-0 to start a season. I was a little surprised to find that the last time IU went 4-0 was in 1990 under Bill Mallory. I was actually in school at IU for three of the university's nine total bowl games. Little did I know at the time that I was there during the end of one of the best eras of IU Football, so far.
Before 1990, there have only been two other times in my lifetime that IU began a season 4-0: in 1985 and 1986, again under Mallory. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the only other time IU started 4-0 in any of our lifetimes was the Rose Bowl year of 1967 when they started 8-0 under John Pont. Besides that there was one other start of 5-0 and that was in 1910 under James Sheldon. That's five times of a 4-0 start over the last 127 years. This just shows how big of a rebuild project Coach Wilson has undertaken.
If Wilson has us at 4-0 heading into the B1G opener vs. Ohio State in will mark the 25th anniversary of the last 4-0 Hoosier football team. If a 4-0 start happens IU should start the contract extension discussions with Wilson immediately because it would already be a fairly special season. I am a big proponent of what Coach Wilson is building. He talks and acts like a football coach. The program feels, to me, like its going in the right direction and its being done the right ways. I am looking forward to a few more wins on the field and a bowl game this year. I can't wait for the season to begin!
I'll ask the question....do you feel 4-0 is attainable? Do you feel its expected? My opinion is its kind of hard to expect that when the last time it was done was in 1990. Not trying to get ahead of ourselves as we just need to take it one at a time. Just asking the question.
It used to seem like a given that IU would open the season with two to three wins, especially in the latter part of the 2000's. I just looked it up. I think the reason this seems to be familiar to me is there were a few years under Hoeppner, and mostly Lynch, where IU began 2-0 and 3-0. In fact, Lynch never had a season where he didn’t open up at least 2-0, and three times he opened 3-0. Besides that, it would be fairly unprecedented for IU to go 4-0 to start a season. I was a little surprised to find that the last time IU went 4-0 was in 1990 under Bill Mallory. I was actually in school at IU for three of the university's nine total bowl games. Little did I know at the time that I was there during the end of one of the best eras of IU Football, so far.
Before 1990, there have only been two other times in my lifetime that IU began a season 4-0: in 1985 and 1986, again under Mallory. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the only other time IU started 4-0 in any of our lifetimes was the Rose Bowl year of 1967 when they started 8-0 under John Pont. Besides that there was one other start of 5-0 and that was in 1910 under James Sheldon. That's five times of a 4-0 start over the last 127 years. This just shows how big of a rebuild project Coach Wilson has undertaken.
If Wilson has us at 4-0 heading into the B1G opener vs. Ohio State in will mark the 25th anniversary of the last 4-0 Hoosier football team. If a 4-0 start happens IU should start the contract extension discussions with Wilson immediately because it would already be a fairly special season. I am a big proponent of what Coach Wilson is building. He talks and acts like a football coach. The program feels, to me, like its going in the right direction and its being done the right ways. I am looking forward to a few more wins on the field and a bowl game this year. I can't wait for the season to begin!
I'll ask the question....do you feel 4-0 is attainable? Do you feel its expected? My opinion is its kind of hard to expect that when the last time it was done was in 1990. Not trying to get ahead of ourselves as we just need to take it one at a time. Just asking the question.
