Its official: Hoosiers to play in the Insight Bowl versus Oklahoma State
The Hoosiers will face Oklahoma State in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 31, according to Oklahoma State's website.
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The Hoosiers will face Oklahoma State in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 31, according to Oklahoma State's website.
It looked as if Hoosier fans would get an early idea of their football team's bowl destination.
In my column today, I gave out a hand full of meaningless off-season awards. Now its time to hear what kind of awards you can come up with.
What does an award mean these days?\nParents have to dedicate entire rooms in their houses for their child athletes’ trophies. In college football, so many organizations dole out petty achievements that anyone who moves a pinky toe at least gets a nomination. The only thing worse than the abundance of meaningless hardware is the sub-par acceptance speeches that usually follow. \nAustin Starr alone has a realistic chance at winning three awards this off-season. Already selected as an Academic All-American, Starr is also in the running for the Lou Groza Award and his kick in the Bucket game is nominated for the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year.\nAnd that’s just the kicker.\nFeeling the need to dish out even more awards, the Hoosiers held their annual football banquet two weeks ago where a whopping 27 different people were honored. \nBut it wasn’t just the typical team MVP and leadership awards. The Hoosiers presented a myriad of awards you’ve never heard of, including the Don Howell Award to fifth-year senior John Sandberg for most outstanding offensive lineman. Even more obscure, senior kicker Kevin Trulock came away with the Ted Whereatt Award for academic excellence.\nSince I couldn’t make it to the banquet, I decided to present a couple of my own meaningless awards to deserving Hoosiers who aren’t always in the spotlight. And please Hoosiers, keep the “thank-you’s” to a minimum.
It's not surprising that most Hoosier fans are comparing football news to an old basketball problem.
When Bill Lynch is at a loss for words, he has a repetitive, almost lovable defense mechanism to deflect attention. \nA particularly tough defeat leads to Lynch praising a “good football team.” An impressive performance by an opponent would lead to the anointment of a “good football player.” \nHe’s a thesaurus’ nightmare. Luckily for Lynch, Roget and Merriam-Webster weren’t spear-heading the search for IU’s future coach. On Monday, IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan announced Lynch and the Hoosiers had agreed upon a four-year contract. \nThere were no “four more years” chants breaking out during Lynch’s press conference, but rather polite golf-clapping taken straight from a State of the Union Address. As Lynch sat waiting to be formally introduced, one unsaid sentence kept resonating through the empty space in my skull ... \nBill Lynch is a good football coach. \nI’m not taking the easy way out, it just seems like the most appropriate phrasing. Lynch is a good hire – not bad, not great. In fact, Lynch is at the very essence of the word “good.” He’s not spectacular or flashy, but he’s also not incompetent or over his head. He’s just good. \nThe man who announced Lynch’s hiring, Greenspan, said he went home and pulled the covers over his head after the Hoosiers lost painfully to Northwestern two weeks ago. He was unsure if the Hoosiers would be able to rebound against Purdue, unsure whether Lynch was the right guy for this program. \nOn Monday, Greenspan admitted, “I was wrong.” \nLet me do the same. Three weeks ago, I wrote that the Hoosiers wouldn’t even give Lynch a chance in the coaching search, let alone a contract through 2012. Looking back on my column, I wouldn’t be surprised if Will Smith did a movie based on me titled “I Am Idiot.” \nI said it was too little, too late for the Hoosiers to get to seven wins. They did. \nI said the Hoosiers would conduct a national search for a new head coach after the season. They did not. \nAnd I said Lynch winning two out of his last three wouldn’t necessarily result in him retaining his job. It did. \nBut unlike my interactions with the opposite gender, I didn’t get everything wrong. I did say Lynch had “done a good job” this season, which is something I stand by. In fact, it’s exactly what Lynch did this year: a good job. \nIt’s anyone’s guess whether Lynch turns out to be a great hire – but you can’t help but notice the similarities to the last major extension the Hoosiers doled out. \nBoth former men’s basketball coach Mike Davis and Lynch had fairy tale first seasons with their predecessor’s system and players. Both were also rewarded with multi-year contracts, despite a lack of successful coaching experience. \nBut not everything is equal between the two. Davis wore his emotions on his sleeve; Lynch keeps his safely buried between his crimson sweatshirt and his heart. Davis was often a press conference spectacle; Lynch prefers to deflect attention to his players. \nBut on Saturday all eyes were on Lynch. Twiddling his fingers, adjusting his tie and studying his notes one last time before he spoke, Lynch looked as comfortable in a suit as he would be handing the Old Oaken Bucket to Joe Tiller. \nLynch opened by thanking a majority of the people present and closed with a sales pitch, something his friend Terry Hoeppner was great at. \n“We’re not going to sell any magic,” Lynch said. “We’re going to sell a great university, we’re going to sell a great staff, we’re going to sell a great commitment to football and we’re going to get better.” \nTime will tell if the good coach delivers a great football program.
The Indiana Daily Student has been running an online poll on its website the past few days, asking our readers which bowl they would like to see the Hoosiers play in.
Everyone by now knows the Hoosiers are going bowling. The only question left is where.
There are special moments in sports you cherish. You remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when you witnessed it. \nThanks to Austin Starr’s 49-yard field goal in the closing seconds, I’ll always remember watching Terry Hoeppner’s dream come true. \nThe sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium witnessed a true fairy-tale ending Saturday. After IU stormed to a 24-3 lead, Purdue tied the game up late in the fourth quarter. But all they were really doing was adding suspense to what will now be known in Indiana as “The Kick.” \n“Right after I kicked it, I looked up at the sky, and I immediately thought of (Coach Hep),” Starr said. “If you think about what’s happened to us and how our season’s been going, there was no way we were going to lose that game. That’s just not how fairy-tale seasons end.” \nThe Writers Guild of America couldn’t have come up with a better ending. Driving to the game Saturday, I had a feeling. At first, that feeling was rage, because it took me an hour to drive three blocks to the stadium. But the rage soon subsided and was replaced by awe and amazement. \nBill Lynch called it a “real college football atmosphere.” He could have easily titled it the best college football atmosphere in Bloomington in decades. The parking lots and tailgating fields were clustered with fans, trailers, corn hole games, kegs and more. There were so many “IU” and “Purdue” flags that a real-life game of Risk seemed to be playing out between the two schools. \nThe energy inside the stadium trumped the action outside of it. It was like Midnight Madness and the Rose Bowl rolled into one afternoon. \nAnd when the Hoosiers got off to a mind-boggling 21-point lead, you could sense the celebration about to break out. It was like the ball at New Year’s was dropping, except everybody in Times Square started to count down with 90 minutes left. \nThe celebration was premature. The Hoosiers blew the lead, and Purdue came back late in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 24. \nBut IU’s Starr wasn’t about to let them lose the game. After missing a shorter field goal earlier in the quarter, Starr lined up a 49-yard field goal for the season. \nThe rest is history. Starr split the uprights, extending his record for field goals in a season, which he set earlier that night. Once the party on the field culminated, the players gathered in IU’s locker room, where Jane Hoeppner dotted the Old Oaken Bucket with a Hoosier “I,” a symbolic gesture that even the most loyal Boilermaker \nwould appreciate. \nHuddled in an intimate press conference late Saturday night, Hoeppner spoke emotionally about the team and her late husband. When asked what Coach Hep would say after tonight’s game, Hoeppner replied, “We did it. We did it.” \nIU’s biggest supporter pledged her own support for Lynch to be retained as the head coach for next season.\n“They did this for Coach (Hep),” she said. “But they also did this for Coach Lynch.” \nYes, Coach Hep wasn’t the only one to have his dream come true Saturday. The Hoosiers most likely did something that hasn’t been done in 14 years – something a lot of people probably thought wouldn’t even happen for another 14 years. \nBut it did happen, in remarkable fashion. After making the biggest kick in school history, there was only one thing left for Starr and the Hoosiers to do after Saturday night’s win. \n“I don’t know where the party’s at, its probably all over campus, but I’m not going to go to sleep tonight,” \nStarr said. \nWho could blame him? Why go to sleep when you’ve already lived your dream?
Indiana 27, Purdue 24 --- [FINAL]
It’s been a long time since the Hoosiers played a “must-see game.” \nBut if you’re in Bloomington on Saturday and not inside Memorial Stadium, I feel bad for you. Stop talking about Eric Gordon for 48 hours. This weekend belongs to the football team. \nThe Hoosiers face what is essentially a one-game playoff to get into a bowl game. And although a berth isn’t guaranteed, a seventh win would make not getting a 13th game as probable as Stephon Marbury going through the rest of the season quietly.\nThe Old Oaken Bucket game has more riding on it than Space Mountain. Saturday’s rivalry contest has more story lines than a Quentin Tarantino movie. \nBut don’t fret; I won’t leave you with a cliffhanger. Truth is, the Hoosiers have me as confused as Sammy Sosa under oath. \nSo I’ve decided to play out both outcomes for the Bucket game. Think of it as a bipartisan prediction.
EVANSTON, Ill. – Minutes prior to kickoff, Northwestern’s offensive coaching staff stood patiently in front of an elevator.\nEngulfed in a sea of purple, a nearby Wildcats fan reminded the coaches to play all four quarters, a playful jab at the team’s inability to score in the final period the past two games.\nBut Northwestern’s scoring problems dematerialized Saturday. A week after gaining their own bowl eligibility, the Hoosiers handed the Wildcats theirs. \nNorthwestern scored 21 second-half points against the Hoosiers after the team had only scored a combined 19 points in the second halves of its previous three games.\nNorthwestern gave the Hoosiers every opportunity to notch their seventh win Saturday, but the Hoosiers couldn’t capitalize. \nIU’s two most costly turnovers Saturday ultimately decided the game. One would serve as the game’s turning point, the other would seal Northwestern’s victory. \nWith a 14-3 lead and the ball midway through the second quarter, Kellen Lewis took a big hit on a pass attempt. An official’s time out would force Lewis to sit out a play, even though he was able to jog off the field.\nA quick glance to the sideline showed Bill Lynch sticking to his depth chart – freshman quarterback Ben Chappell was warming up. A few feet away from Chappell stood another quarterback with his hands firmly buried inside his hand warmers. \nThose hands belonged to senior Blake Powers, IU’s former quarterback with 468 career pass attempts. Chappell had thrown one career pass. \nWhat ensued on the third down would best be described as the “worst case scenario.”\nFacing third-and-6 with a two-possession lead, the Hoosiers puzzlingly decided to try to pick up the first down through the air with a quarterback who was as green as the grass.\nChappell lined up in shotgun formation. The ball was snapped. Chappell stared down his receiver to his right, then stared him down some more and fired a perfect pass to Northwestern linebacker Eddie Simpson, who caught the ball in stride and ran 41 yards into the end zone, completing the “pick six.”\nIt’s hard to deflect blame, but it would be unfair to pile on Chappell. The last time he threw a pass in a meaningful game was at Bloomington High School South. Now with maybe eight warm-up tosses he is supposed to pass for a first down against a Big Ten defense?\nBut the Hoosiers would battle back. IU went 80 yards in the fourth quarter to take a 28-24 lead with 5:34 left. \nBut the game of hot potato continued, and Northwestern would score again minutes later. Once again, the Hoosiers mounted a comeback and had the ball in Wildcat territory with 22 seconds left. The Hoosiers called a time out.\n“The first thing coach told me before we went on the field is ‘We’re almost in field goal range, don’t take a sack,’” Lewis said. \nWhat ensued on the next play would best be described as the new “worst case scenario.”\nWith a time-out still in his pocket, Lewis dropped back. But the pressure came quick and IU’s quarterback couldn’t find an open receiver. He stepped up, was hit hard and tried to bring his arm forward to throw an incomplete pass.\nInstead, Lewis took a sack and fumbled the ball. The play was reviewed, but the call stood. For the second time in less than a month, IU would stage a last-minute comeback, only to let the ball – and the game – slip away.\nIf you find yourself waiting in front of an elevator this week, and IU’s coaching staff happens to be present, politely remind them to take care of the ball. It just might be the difference.
In a stark contrast to Saturday's 11 a.m, start against Northwestern, the Old Oaken Bucket game will begin next Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Indiana 28, Northwestern 31 - [Fourth quarter - FINAL]
A win Saturday could mean more than the Hoosiers controlling their own destiny. It might help them control their destination. \nFor the first time in 14 years, the Hoosiers have a chance to be a bowl spectacle, instead of a bowl spectator. Already bowl eligible, a seventh win would make IU’s postseason exclusion unlikely. \nAssuming bowl committees are beholders, in terms of beauty, the Hoosiers are attractive – the football equivalent of Meadow Soprano. Despite not being a Top 25 team, the Hoosiers are nationally recognized. And in the wake of Terry Hoeppner’s passing, IU’s successful season has the tone of a story with a fairy-tale ending. \nIU also has one of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in the nation in Kellen Lewis and James Hardy. And if the offense fails (let’s hope the game isn’t played at Camp Randall Stadium), the team’s resurgent defense could keep a bowl game competitive. \nIf money were to play a factor in IU’s selection – which, I would venture, might be partially true – a bowl committee might be turned on by IU’s alumni base, which is the third largest in the nation. The guys from Peegs.com, an IU message board should represent a couple thousand fans by themselves. \nAnd while Bloomington residents haven’t exactly been beating down the gates of Memorial Stadium this season, there are people somewhere who want to see the Hoosiers. On the Motor City Bowl’s Web site, the Hoosiers are receiving 55 percent of the 7,400 votes in a poll asking readers which Big Ten team they’d like to see in the game. Motor City Bowl representatives have shown significant interest in the Hoosiers all season and would most likely love the Hoosiers to spend Christmas in Detroit. I think that’s the title of M. Night Shyamalan’s next movie.\nOn a warmer note, I’ve been blinded by the glare of orange coats from Champs Sports Bowl representatives several times this year at Hoosier games. In a similar poll on their Web site, the Hoosiers finished in second place with 22.6 percent of the vote, only trailing a team they’ve actually beaten this season, Iowa, at 29 percent. \nThe third bowl interested in the Hoosiers is the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz. The game is played in Sun Devil Stadium on Dec. 31. Unfortunately for anyone attending, the Barenaked Ladies are headlining their block party, which might kind of sound like a basketball school headlining your bowl game, but completely different.\nWith the exception of Minnesota, every team in the Big Ten is at or above .500 going into this weekend. That means every team in the conference has a realistic shot to be bowl eligible. \nAnd with only seven bowl slots for Big Ten teams, school’s bowl campaigns are as important as ever. However, the logjam could be eased by BCS berths for Ohio State and Michigan. \nIf the Hoosiers are able to win Saturday, their campaign becomes as relevant as Stephen Colbert’s. Not to go Namath on you, but a seventh win would guarantee the Hoosiers a bowl game. IU also has the possibility of picking up a seventh or eighth win against Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game on Nov. 17. \nBut before they battle the Boilermakers, the Hoosiers will focus on their last road game of the season against Northwestern. As it stands now, IU is awaiting bowl invitations. With a win or two, they will be the ones throwing the party.
No Gatorade baths or tearful victory speeches followed IU’s sixth win.\nThe chase for eligibility is no more. But the Hoosiers are still in full pursuit of a\nbowl game.\nThat’s what a 14-year absence from December football will do to a program. Snapping a three-game losing streak, the Hoosiers overcame a slow start and a slew of first-half turnovers to send Ball State back to Muncie with a \n38-20 loss.\nKellen Lewis emerged against Ball State last season and played one of his best games against them the second time around. An interception on the first play from scrimmage and two first-half fumbles looked eerily similiar to his mistakes the previous three weeks. But thanks to his goldfish memory, the quarterback regrouped and threw for a career-high 354 yards, leading the Hoosiers to victory.\nLewis and the Hoosiers will now attempt to control their own destiny and prevent what happened to IU 13 years ago. Like the current squad, the Hoosiers in 1994 had six wins. But despite being eligible, the team was not invited to a bowl game.\nThis team however, still has two games to play. A road game against Northwestern and a home date against Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket leaves the Hoosiers with the potential to win eight games this season. The team will only need a victory in one of those games to cement their bowl plans. \nHoosier after Hoosier reiterated after the game that a sixth game was a goal, but not their endgame. With a bowl game on everyone’s minds, is this not the perfect opportunity for Lance Bennett to make a Hoosier remix to rapper Jim Jones’ most popular song?\nWith the Hoosiers on the brink of a bowl game this year, the long-term question emerges as to whether the Hoosiers can follow suit next year and do it again. And the year after that, and so on. It’s one thing to be a good team, but could this be the turning point that makes the Hoosiers a good program?\nRome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will be IU football. This year’s success isn’t just a tribute to the guys roaming the sideline on Saturdays. It’s taken years for the Hoosiers to be able to tread water and not drown against their competitors. And it will take several more years for the Hoosiers to prove they can win consistently.\nThink about the road the Hoosiers have taken to six wins. They’ve played some great football this season, but there isn’t a logo-bearing person in their locker room who would say they couldn’t have done better. \nIf the Hoosiers can consistently win six games or more a year, people will quickly forget the days of Cam Cameron and Gerry DiNardo. People will stop talking about the basketball team like it’s March Madness when its only October, and the Hoosiers might just start to get some of the respect they’ve been missing out on.\nThe win over Ball State showcased why the Hoosiers could make an attractive option to bowl committees. If it translates into them being a better team, they’ll be the one controlling their destiny.
Indiana 38, Ball State 20 - [FINAL]
It’s oozing out of Memorial Stadium and spilling over into the tailgate fields. The Hoosiers are leaking too, and they can’t stop it. \n“It” is the bleeding that has left the streets of Bloomington flooded with crimson blood. \nReeling from a three-game losing streak, the Hoosiers are desperate for a win. They’ll do anything short of running Marcus Thigpen outside the tackles. Don’t believe me? Look no further than the dreaded players-only meeting the IU seniors called on Tuesday. \nDo you think teams that can’t stop winning hold these types of meetings? James Hardy and Josiah Sears spoke in front of the team, attempting to spark some cohesiveness and continuity before the Ball State game Saturday. \nBut was it too little, too late? \nA sixth win won’t be enough to get the Hoosiers to a bowl game. Thanks to a record year of parity, the Big Ten is as competitively mediocre as Major League Baseball. With only seven conference bowl slots and up to 10 eligible teams, the Hoosiers will now need a seventh win to extend their season past the Old Oaken Bucket game.\nIt’s as if college football has been holding IU’s season ransom all year demanding six wins but now upping the ante and insisting on seven. I can see Bill Lynch locked up in his office screaming into the phone, “You told me six! You said that was enough! Now you’re asking for seven? Give me back my son!” \nOK, the last line was Mel Gibson, but you get the picture. All season, the goal has been “six wins” and “bowl eligibility” – now the Hoosiers have to win two of their next three or the season goes to waste. \nGiving it your all sometimes isn’t enough. I know that goes against what your middle-school basketball coach told you, but that’s life. If Lynch and the Hoosiers beat Ball State on Saturday and then defeat either Northwestern or Purdue on their way to a bowl game, do you think that will equate to Lynch retaining his job? \nStop being naive. You’re as gullible as Ice Miller. The Hoosiers could win out in convincing fashion and Lynch wouldn’t be brought back. At this point, it has nothing to do with wins and losses. Terry Hoeppner was the kind of guy you could build a program around. Energetic, enthusiastic and other words that start with “e,” Hoeppner brought an excitement to the IU program that’s been missing since his passing. \nThe Hoosiers will search for Hoeppner’s replacement, not Lynch’s. As well as Lynch has done this year – and I do think he has done a good job – he isn’t cut out for the position. He’s reserved and not comfortable in the public eye. His press conferences sound more like premeditated responses than rallying cries. \nHistory would indicate that the Hoosiers will conduct an overhyped national search this spring, searching for the mystery man who will solve all of their program’s woes (See: Sampson, Kelvin). They will take anyone who can detract attention from the football program’s lack of progress and whatever the basketball team gets into this spring. The truth is that there is no mystery man. There is no Hoeppner II. There is no anti-Lynch. Kellen Lewis and James Hardy can’t win football games by themselves, and neither can any coach. \nThe Hoosiers need to win Saturday. Not Lynch, but the team. Two wins short of seven puts the Hoosiers in a desperate position – desperate to make the bleeding stop.
To a casual basketball fan, the name Rob Senderoff might not mean much. \nBut those familiar with IU basketball recruiting know that Senderoff was often the face and voice of the program. While Kelvin Sampson stayed on house arrest in Bloomington for most of last year, Senderoff hit the road, convincing Devin Ebanks and other recruits to check out IU.\nThink of Senderoff as the left jab that set up Sampson’s right hook. The assistant coach would set the foundation for the recruitment of a prospect IU was interested in, and Sampson would close the deal. \nThe Hoosiers will miss Senderoff’s recruiting ability, but it’s not clear yet how big of a void his resignation will leave in \nthe program. \nSpeculation the past few days guessed that Ebanks might jump ship now that the coach most involved in his recruitment has resigned. But that is more fiction than fact. Ebanks has already said no matter what happens he will be a Hoosier, and the verbal commitment by Ebanks’s friend Terrell Holloway further reassures Ebanks’ comments. \nOne person who isn’t limited to the amount of phone calls he can make to recruits is HoosierNation.com’s John Decker. Overall, Decker said the reaction has\nbeen minimal.\n“I’ve talked to quite a few of the kids, the one notable exception being Ebanks,” Decker said. “(Matt) Roth sounds like he’s good. I talked to (Derek) Elston right after the first wave of sanctions came out and he sounded fine. If Indiana can’t go to the postseason, maybe that would change their minds ... I’m sure that’s a concern.”\nDecker also recently talked to Holloway, the 6-foot point guard from Harmony Community School in Cincinnati. After taking the SATs last week, Holloway is confident he will qualify academically for the 2008 season. Decker said Holloway would have received more offers if it weren’t for his mediocre academic standing.\nOne notable thing about Holloway’s commitment is the timing. Is this a poor attempt by the IU Athletics Department to dilute attention from its biggest scandal in years with the verbal commitment of a recruit (Holloway) that can’t even break most recruiting services’ Top 100?\nMore importantly, Senderoff’s exit leaves IU’s position with two consensus Top 10 recruits in question. Brooklyn’s Lance Stephenson and Elizabeth St. Patrick’s (NJ) Dexter Strickland both came to Bloomington for Hoosier Hysteria last month, in part thanks to Senderoff. For Stephenson and Strickland, will the assistant coach’s departure “send them off?”\nCriss Beyers, an AAU and college basketball insider, said Senderoff was a key part of IU’s recruiting machine, but not the power source.\n“Rob will be missed, and he did a lot of good things (for IU basketball),” Beyers said. “But it all boils down to Coach Sampson.”\n“We’ve had a lot of kids go through our program to big time colleges,” continued Beyers, who is on Indiana Elite’s board of directors. “I’m not sure any player that I can name has gone somewhere because of an assistant coach. It’s the head coach that sells the tradition, the program and the fans.” \nOne thing we know for sure is Senderoff’s replacement. In his teleconference yesterday, IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan confirmed that Director of Men’s Basketball Operations Dan Dakich would take Senderoff’s place on the bench.\nDakich played for IU under Bob Knight from 1982-1985. When Dakich arrived in Bloomington, Beyers was working under Knight as a graduate assistant. Friends since they met more than 20 years ago, Beyers praised Dakich’s work ethic as both a player and a coach. Because of IU’s self-imposed sanctions, Dakich will inherit Senderoff’s restrictions and will be unable to recruit during the upcoming season.\n“I think that’s a shame,” Beyers said, “because he can talk more about Indiana basketball than anyone.”
MADISON, Wis. – Last season, the Hoosiers couldn’t do it. Will this year be any different?\nAfter losing to Wisconsin on Saturday, the Hoosiers enter the month of November with five wins and three games left on the schedule. IU only needs one victory to become bowl eligible – but will most likely need two wins in order to guarantee a 13th game.\nLast year, IU failed facing the same predicament. With three games in November, the Hoosiers only needed one win to get them to six and a bowl game. Instead, the Hoosiers were outscored a combined 125-48 and lost all three games.\nThe Hoosiers are now 0-for-6 in games that would make them bowl-eligible the past two seasons. You could say, “IU is a team that can’t win the big one,” but a more accurate description would be “IU is a team that can’t win the sixth one.”\nIt wasn’t long ago the Hoosiers were the surprise of the Big Ten. A 5-1 start and convincing wins over Iowa and Minnesota gave IU its fullest bandwagon in years. \nSince then, the Hoosiers have been on a steady decline. Their terrible, horrible, no good very bad day has lasted three weeks and feels like an eternity.\nThe blowout by Michigan State served as a wake-up call. \nComing off two straight wins, IU had a 6-1 start in their headlights. I heard Hoosier fans making half-hearted Rose Bowl jokes all week. But the Spartans hit the Hoosiers like a deer-hungry truck, pummeling IU in every facet of the game.\nThe week after that brought a painful homecoming loss to Penn State. Three costly fumbles by Kellen Lewis and two misplayed punts by Tracy Porter twisted the dagger in IU’s upset aspirations. \nAnd like “The Godfather” trilogy, the Hoosiers saved their worst performance for last. The 33-3 score doesn’t tell the entire story – the Hoosiers fumbled four times and not only failed to get into the end zone against Wisconsin, but barely even got into the red zone. IU crossed Wisconsin’s 30-yard line for the first time with just more than 13 minutes left in the fourth quarter.\nSo what is keeping IU from winning its sixth game? Is the pressure of a sixth win beginning to wear mentally on the Hoosiers?\n“Sometimes I think that guys just look past, thinking we already have the sixth win, so things are cool,” Porter said after the Wisconsin loss. “But for the most part, it’s not a mental block. We’re just not coming in and taking care of business week in and week out.”\nBusiness will be easier for the Hoosiers this November than last. Instead of playing two road games and a home battle against the No. 2 team in the country, the Hoosiers play Ball State at home, at Northwestern and at home again against Purdue. Even after playing Illinois tough last weekend, the Cardinals represent IU’s easiest opponent since Akron. \nBut the Hoosiers will most likely have to take two of their last three to ensure postseason play. Nine teams in the Big Ten already have five wins, and with only seven Big Ten bowls, the Hoosiers will need seven wins to control their own destiny. \nAll season, it has looked like the Hoosiers would make their first bowl game since 1993. After three straight losses, it no longer looks like a sure thing. Last year, the Hoosiers didn’t make a bowl game.\nWill this year be any different?