Pretty exciting.
Not so long ago, talk about IU going 11-1, beating OSU and/or securing a berth in a major bowl would have seemed like cause for medication or a case of too much. And yet, while much of that may still be construed as wishful thinking, no changing the facts of IU's performance last year, nor anything fanciful or irrational in the expectation that this Season IU will field an even better Team on both sides of the ball.
A host of returning and experienced veterans, key Players back from injuries, the addition of an NFL-caliber running back and other notable additions from transfers, improved roster depth - all contributing to the maturation of a Program that has already accomplished what for so long seemed hugely improbable if not altogether impossible.
Last year IU was a play away from tying and potentially knocking off mighty Ohio State in Columbus after spotting them a 28-point lead. Lest anyone imagine that was a fluke, recall that in taking down down Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin, the Hoosiers beat the rest of the Big Ten's elite and were essentially robbed of a spot in the Conference Championship game because of a last-minute rule change. So add 'something to prove' to the list of reasons why IU will likely be even better.
In some respects none of that matters. What matters is playing #18 Iowa on the road in two weeks to open the Season. That game will set the tone for the year, and a win there followed by a victory two weeks later at home against #8 Cincinnati would vault IU back into the national Top Ten for the second year a row. The last time that happened, if indeed it ever has, most Americans hadn't even been born yet. So if there's presently something of a buzz in Indiana, an almost palpable tension and anticipation among the Hoosier faithful, welcome to the flip side of 'Hoosier Hysteria', a phenomena previously associated almost exclusively with IU's storied basketball program.
Make no mistake, these are not your parent's Hoosiers - they're Coach Tom Allen's Hoosiers, and the Program's past is no longer indicative of it's present stature or future success. Expectations aside, the only real guarantee is that IU's September 4th match-up against Iowa will be the most watched Indiana football game in decades. And should the Cream & Crimson prevail, that new record for viewership will last but two weeks.
After years in the wilderness of D1 football, it's good to be a Hoosier. Go IU!
Not so long ago, talk about IU going 11-1, beating OSU and/or securing a berth in a major bowl would have seemed like cause for medication or a case of too much. And yet, while much of that may still be construed as wishful thinking, no changing the facts of IU's performance last year, nor anything fanciful or irrational in the expectation that this Season IU will field an even better Team on both sides of the ball.
A host of returning and experienced veterans, key Players back from injuries, the addition of an NFL-caliber running back and other notable additions from transfers, improved roster depth - all contributing to the maturation of a Program that has already accomplished what for so long seemed hugely improbable if not altogether impossible.
Last year IU was a play away from tying and potentially knocking off mighty Ohio State in Columbus after spotting them a 28-point lead. Lest anyone imagine that was a fluke, recall that in taking down down Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin, the Hoosiers beat the rest of the Big Ten's elite and were essentially robbed of a spot in the Conference Championship game because of a last-minute rule change. So add 'something to prove' to the list of reasons why IU will likely be even better.
In some respects none of that matters. What matters is playing #18 Iowa on the road in two weeks to open the Season. That game will set the tone for the year, and a win there followed by a victory two weeks later at home against #8 Cincinnati would vault IU back into the national Top Ten for the second year a row. The last time that happened, if indeed it ever has, most Americans hadn't even been born yet. So if there's presently something of a buzz in Indiana, an almost palpable tension and anticipation among the Hoosier faithful, welcome to the flip side of 'Hoosier Hysteria', a phenomena previously associated almost exclusively with IU's storied basketball program.
Make no mistake, these are not your parent's Hoosiers - they're Coach Tom Allen's Hoosiers, and the Program's past is no longer indicative of it's present stature or future success. Expectations aside, the only real guarantee is that IU's September 4th match-up against Iowa will be the most watched Indiana football game in decades. And should the Cream & Crimson prevail, that new record for viewership will last but two weeks.
After years in the wilderness of D1 football, it's good to be a Hoosier. Go IU!
