It's been a bad season for Indiana football. The losses are piling up and the dozens, maybe even hundreds, of Hoosier football fans are enduring a terrible season. Rather than force them to read about how bad things are, let's cheer up the IU faithful with some silver linings.

Cloud: Indiana has lost to a team from the MAC (Ball St.) and the Sun Belt (North Texas) already this season.

Silver Lining: Indiana defeated South Carolina St., their FCS foe, which didn't happen in 2006 when they lost to Southern Illinois.

Cloud: Indiana's defense has given up more total rushing yards (1592) than any FBS team this year. 

Silver Lining: Indiana continues to properly "Defend the Rock". As far as I know, no one has ever stolen or vandalized the huge chunk of limestone that sits behind the north end zone.

Cloud: Indiana doesn't get to play Minnesota this season, who most consider the worst team in the Big Ten. 

Silver Lining: The Hoosiers definitely won't prove the Minnesota-haters wrong by losing to the Gophers this year.

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If Indiana football loses, who cares? No one. But when Indiana basketball wins a game, 80 year old ladies from Terra Haute with blue hair say a prayer of thanks. - Random person at bar tonight

I. Case History/Opening Statement

A. Case History

I firmly believe in the "if you show me something, I give you respect." That's why I don't dole out respect easily. That's why I've got Michigan going 6-6 this year. With that said, Indiana again failed to gain my respect in 2010. Was it Dearly Departed Bill Lynch's fault? Probably not. Was it the offensive system's fault? NOPE. Ben Chappel led the B1G in passing yards. It's just Indiana, or, jIndiana. Low level recruits plus an undersized, undertalented defense (83 embarrassing points given up to Wisky) lead to a terrible record.

And when given the chance to pull what would have been a monumental win versus Iowa...an Indiana receiver dropped the winning TD in the end zone. Stunning? Nah, par for the course.

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Hammer and Rails...meet Indiana week...after a surprising Indiana win in 2010...allowing the Hoosiers to avoid an 0-8 conference record...this should be intriguing. My thanks to TMill, per usual.

Normally when Graham e-mails me to talk about Indiana Football there isn't much to talk about. Since the Hoosiers often don't do a lot on the gridiron we normally toy with them. Purdue's recent struggles have made us even less relevant than usual, so lately the discussion has been about basketball, where Cody Zeller is about to become the new Hoosier Jesus and lead them back to the promised land (even though Tom Crean is a stellar 3-41 away from Assembly Hall).

"Hahahaha b******** s**** y*** d********* "

Then last year happened. Indiana's 34-31 overtime victory at Ross-Ade Stadium was the cherry on top of the shit sundae that was Purdue's 2010 football season. We came in thinking eight wins, but left with 8 losses, six in a row to close, the first home loss to Indiana since 1996, and really the first loss that didn't have extenuating circumstances since 1996.

John at Crimson Quarry and I disagree over this, but Indiana's 13-7 victory in 2001 was greatly helped by a virtual monsoon in Bloomington that grounded our pass-favored offense, giving them an advantage because they were run based. Indiana's 2007 victory by three points saw a near Indiana collapse (a trademark of the Bill Lynch era) where the Hoosiers blew a 21-point lead, but rode the Play 13 momentum to victory.

God, I really do sound pathetic in making those excuses.

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Potlucks and football -- that's what the Midwest DOES!

This being Thursday, it's time for a little segment we like to call the OTE Potluck.  Like any good Midwest potluck, you have multiple courses (5 questions about the Big Ten Team of the Week), with each course being supplied by a different potluck attendee (your friendly OTE writers).  Sometimes, multiple writers will answer one of the questions (i.e. those awesome potlucks where two people sign up for appetizers and you get deviled eggs AND pigs in a blanket), while other times one writer will suffice (i.e. there's never a need for multiple salads in any good Midwest potluck....unless you're talking about adding a jello salad to the mix.  Never pass up a good jello salad, the salad that's frankly a dessert!).

This week's potluck is Hoosier-style, as everyone brings a dish to share in Bloomington.... 

Indiana's Adam Replogle tries to rush through an egregious hold and Nathan Scheelhaase to make his way to the delicious food at the OTE Potluck (AP Photo/Seth Perlman) 

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The concept for this feature is pretty straightforward: It's 4th and 3 with 1:00 to play in the Fourth Quarter and Indiana is on the opponent's 20 yard line down by 5. What play do they run and why?

It's a simple premise, but it gives us the chance to explore Kevin Wilson's system on both sides of the ball. The way I see it, both questions boil down to two things: schemes and personnel. Let's see what the Hoosiers are made of in 2011.

On Offense: Quick Slant to Damarlo Belcher or Slip Screen to Wills

The Playbook

The obvious first question here is what playbook to look at. Although a decent chunk of the starting Hoosier offense from Bill Lynch's final season is back, I don't think there's any question that Kevin Wilson is going to stick with what worked for him in Normon.

Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean the 2011 Hoosiers will run the 2006-2010 Oklahoma spread no-huddle verbatim -- after all, Wilson doesn't have Sam Bradford, Trent Williams and Jermaine Gresham at the helm -- but I do think it means that the best evidence of how Kevin Wilson's Indiana offense will operate in do-or-die situations in 2011 is how his past offenses have operated with it all on the line.

Run or Pass?

The next logical question is run or pass.

Oklahoma attempted nine fourth down conversions in 2010. Seven attempts were rushes and two were passes. Five of those rushes occurred on 4th and 1, and another on 4th and 2. The remaining rush occurred on 4th and 5. Of the two pass attempt conversions, one was on 4th and 1 and another on 4th and 9.

Removing the obvious run and pass situations (i.e. 4th and 1, 4th and 9) from the equation leaves us with two rush attempts on 4th and 2 and 4th and 5.

Obviously, two conversions don't tell us much. Especially, when you consider that Oklahoma had a better rushing offense in 2010 than Indiana is bound to have in 2011.

But what about Wilson's tendencies in similar yardage situations in close games?

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In Point/Counterpoint we’ll be identifying each team’s x-factor, and then offer arguments both in support of and contrary to the assertion said x-factor will spur the team towards glory. Today we sit back and debate the effect Indiana’s new coaching staff will have on their 2011 season.

Following Bill Lynch’s dismissal as head football coach in November 2010, Indiana University announced the hiring of Kevin Wilson as his replacement. Most recently offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, Wilson comes with Big Ten experience having served on Randy Walker’s staff at Northwestern for three years (1999-2001), ultimately becoming assistant head coach (in addition to coordinating the offense and coaching the quarterbacks) in 2001. While in the Big XII he directed an offense that consistently ranked near the top of the national rankings while churning out award winners and NFL draft picks.

The man knows how to run an offense. But what impact will he and his staff have in Bloomington this year?

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Today is the beginning of B1G 2011, our comprehensive offseason preview series.  From now through early July, we'll be dedicating each week on OTE to individual programs, and providing daily team insight and analysis.  We'll work in reverse chronological order from last year's conference finish.  (Don't worry, we'll make sure to squeeze Nebraska in somewhere along the way.)  This approach will allow us to thoroughly appraise each club.

Those of you who have been with us for a while should recognize the format, although I should note that we've tweaked the daily features to provide a more vivid snapshot of each team as it heads into the fall.

Look at it this way, with months until the college football preview magazines hit the shelves, what have you got to lose?

Okay, enough with the pleasantries. The first stop on our virtual road tour is Bloomington, Indiana.  Let's travel I-37 South to Monroe County to visit a perpetual Big Ten cellar-dweller: the Indiana Hoosiers.

FIRST IN A SERIES: THE IU COCKTAIL PARTY PREVIEW

You're probably wondering what the hell a "cocktail party preview" is.  Here's the gist.  Imagine you just graduated from school and you're looking for a job in this crappy economy, or you're employed, and your boss asks you to schmooze a few prospective clients on the golf course. Either way you're in front of somebody you really need to impress. As you sit down in the hiring partner's office, or walk up to the putting green, you notice your mark has a framed picture of Randle El on the wall, or a trident logo on his driver sleeve.  "Did you go to Indiana?" you ask politely. "Heck yeah," comes the response. "I've had football season tickets for 18 years." And then, after a pause, he asks, "You a fan?"

After you thank your lucky stars you're not a Boilermaker you ask yourself: what do I really know about Indiana football?  The bad news is not a lot. But have no fear, you read Off Tackle Empire's IU Cocktail Party Preview, a distilled, no-nonsense, matter of fact primer for the unacquainted fan. The content that follows will arm you with just enough knowledge to navigate your way through any social encounter. Or at least give you enough information to make polite conversation at a cocktail party.

Indiana at a glance...

First Season: 1897
Head Coach: Kevin Wilson (1st Year, 0-0)
All-Time Record: 450-616-45 (.425)
2010 Record: 5-7 (1-7 Conference)

Last year in Bloomington looked pretty much like every other year in Bloomington. The Hoosiers skated through their non-conference schedule unscathed, kept it extremely competitive but ultimately lost a few games in conference (See Michigan, Northwestern and Iowa) and got the living daylights kicked out of them in most of the others (See Ohio State, Illinois, Wisconsin and Penn State).

[Conversation Pointer: Do not for any reason mention the number 83. That's the number of points Wisconsin hung on the Hoosiers in November. On the other hand, make sure to mention how exciting Indiana's 34-31 overtime victory in West Lafayette over Purdue was. To play it casual say something like "It's got to feel good to have the Old Oaken Bucket back in Bloomington."]

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My thanks to John M from Crimson Quarry, SBN's Indiana Hoosiers blog, for giving an outline of Hoosier sports and Bloomington. And let me say - Bloomington.is.an.amazing.college.town. It's much easier to talk about the awesome campus and co-eds than the football team...

Dear Nebraska,

Allow me to welcome you to the Big Ten on behalf of Indiana University fans and alumni.  In many ways, our schools' athletic programs are mere images of each other.  Nebraska fans, as far as I can tell, care about football 365 days a year and regard basketball as a winter diversion that never has provided much joy.  Despite IU's recent struggles in basketball, IU has long been the opposite, a hoops-obsessed school with a football program regarded as an afterthought.  The basketball obsession is still there, but the recent coaching changes and capital improvements have IU fans hoping for, if not greatness, at least relevance in football.

Past Welcome Letters...

Dear Nebraska, Welcome to the Big Ten... From Minnesota

Dear Nebraska, Welcome to the Big Ten...From Michigan State

Dear Nebraska, Welcome to the Big Ten...From Iowa

Dear Nebraska, Welcome to the Big Ten...From Wisconsin

Dear Nebraska, Welcome to the Big Ten...From Ohio State

Dear Nebraska, Welcome to the Big Ten...From Purdue

Dear Nebraska, Welcome to the Big Ten

No football program has been more accommodating to its Big Ten brethren over the years than IU.  Every school in the Big Ten holds a winning record over the Hoosiers.  Even the University of Chicago, which left the conference in the 1930s, holds a comfortable advantage.  We were making a run at Northwestern in the early 1990s, but haven't been able to buy a break against the Wildcats since then.  That's one of the reasons I am so happy to welcome Nebraska to the Big Ten.  I know that the vagaries of Big Ten scheduling mean that IU and NU will not play until at least 2013, possibly 2015.  Still, if I am still writing my blog when that happens, it will give me great pleasure to write in my preview, under "series," "Indiana leads 9-7-3."  Yes, yes, I know that all of IU's wins came in the 1940s and 1950s, when the Huskers were struggling a bit, and that when the teams played a four game series during your Tom Osborne heyday, NU outscored IU 190-43.  I don't care.  NU's 1970s wins don't come with an asterisk just because Lee Corso was our coach then, so I'm counting them all, however earned. 

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