With football season slowly creeping closer, IU has announced four new kickoff times for the upcoming season.
The newly announced kickoff times are for games against Virginia, Michigan, Michigan State and Maryland, with three of them coming on the road.
The season opener against Ohio State had been announced previously and is set for 8 p.m. Thursday, August 21 on ESPN. Previous years show optimism for the Hoosiers against the Buckeyes.
Last season IU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and hung around with Ohio State until the final quarter. The previous year was a thriller in Bloomington in front of a sold-out Memorial Stadium. The crowd erupted as Zander Diamont capped a 79 yard touchdown run, however Ezekiel Elliot and the Buckeyes proved too strong as IU lost 34-27.
IU has announced they will kickoff against Virginia at 3:30 p.m., September 9 on the ACC Network. These two teams last met during the 2009 and 2011 season, with the Cavaliers prevailing both times. However, this Virginia team has changed dramatically since then.
For the past five years, Virginia has been an under .500 program, most recently posting a record of 2-10 last season. Second year head coach Bronco Mendenhall came over from BYU in 2016, which many analysts considered a confusing move for the coach.
Mendenhall held a 99-43 record during his time at BYU and seemed poised for a more prestigious job than Virginia. In addition, Mendenhall also inherited 32 recruiting violations from the previous Virginia regime.
The next announced game time is a home game against Michigan. It’s set for noon on October 14, but the network hasn’t been determined. The Wolverines are another team IU has battled down to the wire in the past.
2015 was a heartbreaker at Memorial Stadium. Students were lining up in the stands to storm the field after taking down a top 15 opponent until Jake Rudock connected with Jehu Chesson for a touchdown with 2 seconds left to force overtime. IU fell in double overtime, as Rashard Fant got beat by Amara Darboh for a touchdown.
Roster turnover in college football is a part of the game and Michigan only returns one starter on defense, compared to IU’s nine. Two of those lost players happen to be first round picks Jabrill Peppers, the No. 25 pick, and Taco Charlton, No. 28 overall.
The Old Brass Spittoon game time has also been set. IU will head to East Lansing on October 21 for a battle against Michigan State to begin at 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m. ET.
Historically, the rivalry has been dominated by Michigan State. However IU got the best of the Spartans last season and hoisted the Old Brass Spittoon for the first time since 2006.
Last year’s Michigan State team surprisingly struggled after being ranked No. 8 in the country before week three. They dropped seven straight games and finished the season 3-9, the first time they have failed to make a bowl game under head coach Mike Dantonio.
Spartan faithful have to be optimistic this season after only losing two key contributors to the draft, Malik McDowell and Montae Nicholson. They also boast the No. 34 recruiting class in the country, which is good for sixth in the Big Ten.
The final game announced is one week later, October 28. The Hoosiers will travel to College Park, Maryland, and take on the Terrapins at 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m. ET.
Last season Maryland got back to the postseason for the first time in two years, but fell to Boston College in the Quick Lane Bowl to finish the year 6-7.
Second year Maryland head coach, D.J. Durkin looks to continue his upward momentum. He’s recently been hot on the recruiting trail. Maryland has claimed the No. 18 recruiting class in the nation for the upcoming season, 2017.
Seven of IU’s twelve games have yet to have a start time announced. The season begins under the lights at 8 p.m. on August 31 against Ohio State. A Buckeye team that has reached the College Football Playoff two of the last three years will present an early conference test for the Hoosiers.
