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2009 Indiana NCAA Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

Indiana 7809 After finishing 7-6 in head coach Bill Lynch’s first year on the job, the Hoosiers dropped to 3-9 in year two, including just 1-7 in Big Ten play. Find out if Indiana is poised to return to its 2007 form or if the Big Ten basement awaits in this 2009 college football betting preview. Indiana is listed at +6300 to win the 2009 Big Ten title.

Offense – Indiana hasn’t been able to bring in the stout offensive line recruits you see at Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State on a consistent basis. Head coach Bill Lynch understands that and that’s why he feels his team is going to have to pass the football effectively to start winning consistently. He hopes QB Ben Chappell will be up to the task. Chappell led the Hoosiers to their only Big Ten win last season and finished the year with 1,001 passing yards and four touchdowns. Lynch made it clear that Chappell would be his guy by moving Kellen Lewis to receiver in the spring and Lewis has since been booted off the squad. Redshirt freshman Darius Willis is the school’s most highly touted running back prospect in quite some time. He figures to pose a bigger threat than Bryan Payton did last year. The bigger key will be the performance of wide receivers Tandon Ross and Damarlo Belcher in Lynch’s pass-oriented system. Lynch is big on these two sophomore playmakers who have great size and athleticism. The offensive line returns four experienced players including senior tackle Rodger Saffold, but there isn’t a lot of depth if the injury bug arrives like it did last year.

Defense – The Indiana defense was atrocious in 2008. The Hoosiers allowed 35.3 points per game (108th nationally) and 432.2 yards per game (107th nationally). And it was clear that the defense gave up down the stretch with Indiana’s final four opponents averaging 47 points per game. The Hoosiers boast a nice duo at the defensive end spots in Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton. Middleton contributed 16 sacks in 2007 and Kirlew came up with 10.5 last season. Hopefully the duo can both get double digit sacks this season. All three linebackers have significant playing experience. Matt Mayberry takes the middle linebacker spot following an 89-tackle season and Will Patterson and Tyler Replogle take the outside back positions. This unit should be pretty solid. Unfortunately, everything accomplished up front could be negated by a secondary filled with question marks. The Hoosiers ranked 105th nationally by allowing 260.5 yards per game through the air in 2008. Their opponents made it look so easy to pass on them that it’s no wonder Lynch wants to pass the ball even more in 2009.

Prediction: 11th Big Ten – Lynch feels he has already upgraded the talent level, but it’s going to take time for these youngsters to develop. The bottom line is that Indiana isn’t going to be very competitive until the defense can make major strides.

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