The Indiana Hoosiers football team has been one of the most exciting also-rans in the country, leading the Big Ten in passing offense three times in the last four years. Even though its best record in that stretch was last year’s 6-7, Indiana rewarded coach Kevin Wilson in January with a six-year extension. Now he’s missing 3,573-yard passer Nate Sudfeld and 1,213-yard rusher Jordan Howard from IU’s first bowl-eligible team since 2007. So what does he do to maintain a pyrotechnic offense? Excitement is hard to sustain at this basketball-crazy school, so this magician must pull a rabbit out of his hat to keep fans entertained in Bloomington. That will be the most intriguing question for Wilson at the 45th annual Big Ten Kickoff on Tuesday in Chicago. Certainly no one is suggesting that IU will become a legitimate contender. Even though fans are receiving more bang for the buck, they have been disappointed by a perennial pretender far too often to make the leap of faith. The Big Ten schedule is adding a conference game, which decreases the margin for error for a program placed in the tougher East Division. Road challenges at Ohio State, Michigan and Northwestern will…
Continue Reading: Mutka: Quarterback transfer Richard Lagow offers hope for Hoosiers fans
