Indiana came close to playing in the postseason in 2013, but came just one win shy of becoming eligible for postseason play. Can the Hoosiers take the next step forward in 2014? That was the subject of the latest Big Ten-focused round table on Athlon Sports this week. I shared my opinion, which you can read below, and it seems I may not be along in thinking they will come close once again without meeting the requirement.
Here is what I had to say…
It is hard to not appreciate the work done by Kevin Wilson since his arrival in Bloomington, because he has managed to build something at Indiana. The Hoosiers had nowhere to go but up when Wilson was hired and this season could be the best yet. The Hoosiers return all 11 starters an offense that has become one of the more entertaining units in the Big Ten and 10 on defense that could benefit from the experience. The problem is Indiana has quite the uphill battle to get to the minimum six victories. Road games at Bowling Green (defending MAC champions) and Missouri (defending SEC East champions) could be extremely difficult in the non-conference slate, and North Texas will not be a pushover either. The Hoosiers are also lumped in the same division with both of the Big Ten’s 2013 division winners (Ohio State, Michigan State) and play at Michigan and at home against Penn State in back-to-back weeks (and I suspect Penn State will not unravel the way they did in Bloomington last season). Indiana came close with five wins last year, but five games may be the high mark again unless the defense drastically improves.
See what the rest of the Athlon Sports roundtable had to say on this subject. What do you think? Will Indiana play in a bowl game next season? Share your opinions in the comments section below.
