The State of the Program

[Aeggie]

I know we're all having a good laugh in the Fire Tom Allen thread, but I wanted to pick up on what I was saying when that thread started. We are now in Tom Allen's third season, he has more win than any IU coach in history to this point, and we've secured our 4th bowl berth in the last 26 seasons.

Meanwhile, I believe our talent level is slowly improving and our depth is slowly getting better. Allen was hired on December 01, 2016 so I don't really consider the 2017 class "his," but I'll include them because those kids are still here. Per 247, these were our national and B1G recruiting rankings

2017

• National - 62
• B1G - 13th

2018

• National - 50
• B1G - 10

2019

• National - 36
• B1G - 8

Now, 2020 doesn't look so good so far at 60th nationally and 12th in the B1G as things stand but we also only have 14 commitments as of now. I don't know how big that class will end up being, but Tom Allen did mention during his press conference that he was planning on calling a couple recruits that same night so hopefully this season bears some fruit on the recruiting trail.

But these last few classes have been good and our depth has been improving. We have a lot of young talent at RB and will eventually have a deep, seasoned RB room because of it. Guys like Matthew Bedford and David Ellis and Mullen are getting playing time as true freshmen. Given the quality of this class a lot of the RS freshmen we start seeing next year should be impact players and we have a 4* WR coming in that has a chance to step right into a deep and talented receiving corps. I want to see how we finish this recruiting class, hopefully we can get to 8-4 or better and ****** some more 4* talent.

We've got first year coordinators on both sides of the ball. I think most are very happy with DeBoer already - I know I am - and we've been frustrated by the early returns of Wommack's young defense. But it is his first year too. I expect us to take a step ahead on both sides of the ball next year due to both continuity and getting more talented as Allen's 2018/19 recruits get older. Plus whichever couple 2020 recruits are too talented to redshirt.

Next year we'll return most of our offensive skill players and we're looking at this schedule:

Home: WKU, Ball State, Maryland, Michigan State, Penn State, Illinois, Purdue

Away: Wisconsin, Connecticut, Rutgers, Ohio State, Michigan

We could be bowl eligible based solely on our home games. Then we have Connecticut and Rutgers on the road. Hell, even the Wisconsin game is the season opener so maybe we could catch them off guard. If we can get to 8 wins this season maybe we could do it again in 2020. Our 2021 schedule is definitely harder, with both Michigan and Ohio State visiting Bloomington as well as Cincinnati coming in(though I'm assuming they won't have Fickell anymore by then), but maybe by then we'll have enough depth that we look as those home games as bigger opportunities than they used to be. Imagine a RS Junior Penix throwing for 10 TDs combined against Michigan and Ohio State in 2021...

I said this in the Fire Tom Allen thread a month ago but I really like what I see as far as the direction the program is heading in. I think we're seeing some growing pains from the new coordinators being new and we're still bowl eligible in October. And next year I think we're set up really well to get back to a bowl. And we've got one of the better recruiters we've had to take advantage of back-to-back bowl berths. We could be seeing a real foundation being laid here

[jk34]

13 minutes ago, Aeggie said:

I know we're all having a good laugh in the Fire Tom Allen thread, but I wanted to pick up on what I was saying when that thread started. We are now in Tom Allen's third season, he has more win than any IU coach in history to this point, and we've secured our 4th bowl berth in the last 26 seasons.

Meanwhile, I believe our talent level is slowly improving and our depth is slowly getting better. Allen was hired on December 01, 2016 so I don't really consider the 2017 class "his," but I'll include them because those kids are still here. Per 247, these were our national and B1G recruiting rankings

2017

• National - 62
• B1G - 13th

2018

• National - 50
• B1G - 10

2019

• National - 36
• B1G - 8

Now, 2020 doesn't look so good so far at 60th nationally and 12th in the B1G as things stand but we also only have 14 commitments as of now. I don't know how big that class will end up being, but Tom Allen did mention during his press conference that he was planning on calling a couple recruits that same night so hopefully this season bears some fruit on the recruiting trail.

But these last few classes have been good and our depth has been improving. We have a lot of young talent at RB and will eventually have a deep, seasoned RB room because of it. Guys like Matthew Bedford and David Ellis and Mullen are getting playing time as true freshmen. Given the quality of this class a lot of the RS freshmen we start seeing next year should be impact players and we have a 4* WR coming in that has a chance to step right into a deep and talented receiving corps. I want to see how we finish this recruiting class, hopefully we can get to 8-4 or better and ****** some more 4* talent.

We've got first year coordinators on both sides of the ball. I think most are very happy with DeBoer already - I know I am - and we've been frustrated by the early returns of Wommack's young defense. But it is his first year too. I expect us to take a step ahead on both sides of the ball next year due to both continuity and getting more talented as Allen's 2018/19 recruits get older. Plus whichever couple 2020 recruits are too talented to redshirt.

Next year we'll return most of our offensive skill players and we're looking at this schedule:

Home: WKU, Ball State, Maryland, Michigan State, Penn State, Illinois, Purdue

Away: Wisconsin, Connecticut, Rutgers, Ohio State, Michigan

We could be bowl eligible based solely on our home games. Then we have Connecticut and Rutgers on the road. Hell, even the Wisconsin game is the season opener so maybe we could catch them off guard. If we can get to 8 wins this season maybe we could do it again in 2020. Our 2021 schedule is definitely harder, with both Michigan and Ohio State visiting Bloomington as well as Cincinnati coming in(though I'm assuming they won't have Fickell anymore by then), but maybe by then we'll have enough depth that we look as those home games as bigger opportunities than they used to be. Imagine a RS Junior Penix throwing for 10 TDs combined against Michigan and Ohio State in 2021...

I said this in the Fire Tom Allen thread a month ago but I really like what I see as far as the direction the program is heading in. I think we're seeing some growing pains from the new coordinators being new and we're still bowl eligible in October. And next year I think we're set up really well to get back to a bowl. And we've got one of the better recruiters we've had to take advantage of back-to-back bowl berths. We could be seeing a real foundation being laid here

Great points!

[Magnanimous]

Now that Allen has established himself as the coach and we are officially in the “Michael Penix” era, this next phase needs to revolve around distancing ourselves from the Big Ten East bottomdwellers and supplanting MSU as the fourth best team in the East. That will entail having the Rutgers and Maryland games considered as automatic wins, bowl games becoming a regular thing, occasionally beating Michigan and Penn State, and being an 8-9 win team on a near regular basis. 

I know this sounds like wishful thinking, but the team is there and this is the step the program needs to make over the next 3-5 years. 

[Aeggie]

We have a real chance to make a move in the pecking order if Dantonio's time is coming to an end in East Lansing as many suspect. If that's true and they don't make the right hire we could make a move. I'm not ready to say Locksley is a bad hire at Maryland but the early returns aren't great at least. We have a great opportunity in the coming years for sure.

If we can even get to being a 6-7 win average over the next say 5 seasons that would be huge for us.

[Alford Bailey]

Headed in the right direction I believe. That said we havent beaten anyone with a winning record yet.  Combination of improvement and a weaker schedule coming to us.

[Walking Boot of Doom]

Headed in the right direction I believe. That said we havent beaten anyone with a winning record yet.  Combination of improvement and a weaker schedule coming to us.

Nebraska had a winning record and then we beat them.


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[Loaded Chicken Sandwich]

IU should always play three creampuffs in the non-conference schedule. Fred screwed up.

Agreed. Wait to strengthen the schedule when it’s the right time. This could force us to win 4 conference games which isn’t exactly a good thing.


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[Aaron]

16 hours ago, Fkfootball1 said:

I don’t like that they put Louisville and Cincinnati on the schedule the next 6 years. Obviously we don’t play them at the same time but I think with only 3 OOC games, I’d keep them easier. With 4, it would be a different story.


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You do realize Big Ten requires you to play once BCS opponent every non-conf right? Someone from a power 5 conference or Cincy or UConn. Can't just schedule three cream puffs. Glass would love to but hands are tied. That's how Wake and Virginia were on schedule previously.      

[HoosierAloha]

You do realize Big Ten requires you to play once BCS opponent every non-conf right? Someone from a power 5 conference or Cincy or UConn. Can't just schedule three cream puffs. Glass would love to but hands are tied. That's how Wake and Virginia were on schedule previously.      

Who was on our noncon schedule from a power 5 conference this season...?


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[johnsoniu]

3 hours ago, Iugradman said:

IU should always play three creampuffs in the non-conference schedule. Fred screwed up.

Remember when you said this during the Eastern Illinois game:

"What does IU get out of playing a team like this? There is no challenge. It doesn’t get them ready for Ohio State."

What changed?

[Loaded Chicken Sandwich]

You do realize Big Ten requires you to play once BCS opponent every non-conf right? Someone from a power 5 conference or Cincy or UConn. Can't just schedule three cream puffs. Glass would love to but hands are tied. That's how Wake and Virginia were on schedule previously.      

Except UConn is a cream puff. They are absolutely awful. So if we have to schedule from the P5 or from the AAC, then schedule crap teams from the AAC.


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[Str8Hoosiers]

16 minutes ago, HoosierAloha said:

Who was on our noncon schedule from a power 5 conference this season...?


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UConn fulfilled the requirement this season. (assuming what he said above was the criteria)

 

I could only find Power 5, Notre Dame, & BYU but I am sure there were other exceptions made. And no longer allowed to schedule FCS teams. Those are the rules I found in a 2015 article.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2015/07/31/big-ten-schedule-nine-league-games-no-fcs-teams-2016/30938987/

 

[HoosierAloha]

UConn fulfilled the requirement this season. (assuming what he said above was the criteria)
 
I could only find Power 5, Notre Dame, & BYU but I am sure there were other exceptions made. And no longer allowed to schedule FCS teams. Those are the rules I found in a 2015 article.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/bigten/2015/07/31/big-ten-schedule-nine-league-games-no-fcs-teams-2016/30938987/
 

Did the AAC take the place of the PAC12 among the power 5 conferences? I do remember a discussion about this. I believe some knucklehead “talking head” tweeted something about every SEC program calling IU when the SEC implemented it.

I guess if UConn counts why not schedule them every season.


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[Walking Boot of Doom]

Well, UConn should be a win and UofL is performing at the same level as Indiana this year. Let’s see how it plays out, but we should be winning those games.


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[Bobman1]

If this program wants to move to the 8 win territory, especially while earning some respect along the way, playing Louisville and Cincinnati shouldn’t be a cause for much worry.


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