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— Elijah Rodgers (@ElijahRodgers_) April 1, 2017

Each week until the start of football season, we'll be going through Indiana's opponents one by one and looking at whatever we find interesting and/or hilarious about them. And as always, thekick was good. This week: Penn State

Previous previews: FIU | Ball State | Wake Forest | Michigan State | Ohio State | Nebraska | Northwestern | Maryland | Rutger |

GAME 10: PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS

Last year's record: 7-6

2015 Final F/+ Ranking: 47

Head Coach: James Franklin

Where: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN

When: November 12, time TBA

1. New year, new offense

Christian Hackenberg was the definition of tantalizing pro prospect during his three up-and-down seasons in Happy Valley. He was a tall pocket passer with the fundamentals to succeed in a pro-style offense, but could also scramble if needed (he had two rushing TDs against IU last year). However, Hackenberg never truly played up to his potential at Penn State. Some fans blamed the o-line or the receiving talent, while others just declared that he wasn’t very good. Nevertheless, the Jets decided in true New York Jets fashion that they’d draft him in Round 2, 14 spots ahead of where his All-American teammate - Lombardi Trophy winner and stellar defensive end Carl Nassib - was taken.

Now Hack is gone, and so is his OC, John Donovan. To replace Donovan, James Franklin brought in former Fordham coach Joe Moorhead. In four seasons in the Bronx, Moorhead went 38-13. And much to my delight, he’s another spread offense guru, which as I stated in the OSU preview, we need more of in the B1G. Oh yeah, running back Saquon Barkley is back though, and he averaged six yards a carry last year as a true freshman despite the Nittany Lions’ o-line troubles. He’ll be a threat to the IU defense much like many other great RBs have been recently. PSU’s new QB could likely be Trace McSorley, or it could be Decatur Central alum and former IU commit Tommy Stevens.

2. James Franklin may already be on the hot seat

James Franklin took over at Penn State for Bill O’Brien, who left for the Texans and has already made the playoffs there because the AFC South is a trashfire and because Ryan Grigson failed to bring in any linemen to protect Andrew Luck. Anyway, Franklin - who rescued Vanderbilt from years of futility before moving up to State College - has only gone 14-12 in his first two seasons at the school. The optimistic fan can argue that some of this stems from Penn State recovering from sanctions, and the fact that the Nittany Lions are placed in the B1G East and has to play OSU, MSU, and Michigan every year.

A more pessimistic fan, on the other hand, might be upset at the team’s inability to beat those three powerhouses, and how Hackenberg’s development seemingly stalled under Franklin. In addition, Penn State lost to Temple last year for the first time in 64 years, and also lost to Tim “Lasagna” Beckman at Illinois two years ago. So while the B1G East is not an easy division, many Penn State fans expect more from Franklin than hovering around .500 every year. Franklin is a Pennsylvania native and knows the demands of the job. But after a few excellent recruiting classes, his team needs to make a step forward in the third year. The schedule won’t be easy - in addition to the divisional games, Penn State has to re-assert its dominance in the Keystone State, as they play Pitt and Temple in weeks 2 and 3. Lose either of these games, and it could be a sad season in Happy Valley.

3. Can the Hoosiers win this game?

My friend and I visited our friend in State College for the IU-PSU game last year. The town is great, the tailgating scene is fantastic, and the local fans were quite nice to us visiting Hoosier fans. Unfortunately, the game itself was a letdown - without Nate Sudfeld and Jordan Howard, the Hoosiers fell 29-7. The year before was one of the ugliest football games I’ve ever been to at any level. After 20 punts, Penn State escaped Bloomington with a 13-7 win in which IU’s only points came off a pick-six.

Considering IU’s inability to do anything on offense against the Nittany Lion defense over the past couple years, a victory might be a tall order. However, both times the Hoosiers were without their starting QB in those games. In addition, Penn State will be replacing most of its defensive line startes this season, so if Indiana’s experienced o-line can dominate, the Hoosiers could get a ground game going. Finally, the game is in Bloomington, and this favors IU, since under Franklin, the Nittany Lions have only gone 5-7 in games away from Beaver Stadium. SB Nation college football stat guru Bill Connelly gives Penn State a 59% chance to win this game. Of course, it all depends on how both teams develop throughout the season, but there’s definitely a chance that IU could steal this one.

4. Let’s remember some Nittany Lions

(yes I’m shamelessly stealing this section from Drew Magary’s NFL previews over at Deadspin but it’s a good bit)

• Ki-Jana Carter
• Anthony Morelli
• Matt McGloin
• Joe Jurevicius
• Courtney Brown
• Aaron Maybin

5. Let’s hear from our readers

In honor of the infamous #PUNTTRACKER game from 2014, we asked you this:

Here were some of your responses:

In case you missed it, our punter is awesome and runs a 4.4 40 and will totally be drafted by Oakland in Round 2 in a few years.

Has any other QB worn #21 before? I think Lagow is a first.

Annnddddd there’s your correct answer.

Next week on the CQ Summer Preview Series: HARBAUUUGHHHHHH

Look, we've got three months of no IU athletics, so let's take this time to preview the Hoosiers' opponents for this upcoming football season. Each week until the season, we'll be going through the opponents one by one and looking at whatever we find interesting and/or hilarious about them. And as always, the kick was good. This week: Ball State.

Game 2: Ball State Cardinals

Last year's record: 3-9

2015 Final F/+ Ranking: 110

Head Coach: Mike Neu

Where: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN

When: September 10, time TBD

1. Not these guys again

The first ever game I went to at Memorial Stadium was in 2012 against Ball State. It was a night game, so after a long afternoon on the tailgate fields, I was pretty hyped up to see a 2-0 Hoosier squad take on their in-state opponents. After a neck-and-neck first half, Indiana's offense went blank in the third quarter while the Doug Mallory defense let the Cardinals take a 38-25 lead. I was convinced the Hoosiers were done.

Then, into the game came true freshman and third-string QB Nate Sudfeld. He showed the flashes of greatness that night that eventually led to him being an NFL Draft pick, leading the Hoosiers on a fourth-quarter comeback and giving the team a 39-38 lead after a Shane Wynn touchdown with 49 seconds left. Unfortunately, this fantastic comeback was all for naught a few minutes later, when the Cardinals hit a 42-yard field goal as time expired to get the victory.

The 2012 game was the third loss in a row for Indiana against Ball State, and the two have not played since. In 2011, Indiana opened Kevin Wilson's tenure in Lucas Oil Stadium against Ball State, a game in which the Cardinals won 27-20. When the two faced off in 2008, a brutal career-ending injury to Ball State WR Dante Love overshadowed the game itself, but the Cardinals, who were led by Brady Hoke at the time, still easily defeated the Hoosiers. Thus, it's been almost 9 years since IU has beaten the Cardinals. And while the series has mostly been inactive, it's been long enough.

2. A brand Neu coach

Pete Lembo had a moderately successful tenure at Ball State, going 33-29 and reaching two bowl games. However, the team had dropped off in the past two seasons, and the Cardinals finished 3-9 last year. Rather than stay in Muncie, Lembo took an assistant job with Maryland. On the surface, going from a MAC head coach job to an assistant for a 3-9 B1G team seems like a step back, but Lembo was on the hot seat, and the Under Armour money in College Park will make sure that he's well compensated for his new role.

To replace Lembo, Ball State brought in a guy with familiarity to the school and the area. Mike Neu, an Indy native and Ball State alum, takes over the job after two years as QB coach for the New Orleans Saints. Based on experience and connections alone, it was a well thought-out hire. Being an alum and Hoosier native will help, and his connections to Drew Brees - who still is a big deal in certain parts of Indiana - shouldn't hurt either. Neu's previous head coaching experience was in Arena Football a decade ago, where we was moderately successful. But this job is definitely a rebuild, and in a competitive conference like the MAC, it may take him a few years to find his footing.

3. Let's hear from our readers

We asked you guys what you thought of Ball State. One reader tweeted "Jason Whitlock," who I totally forgot went to Ball State and makes me want the Hoosiers to win this game even more, but that tweet has since been deleted.

Let's hear what else you said:

@crimsonquarry Whatever you do, don't call them the Scarlet Cardinals or something; you'll never hear the end of it. #goldenpanthers

— Carey D. York (@careyyork) June 10, 2016

Okay, so I got some FIU fans mad online last time because I called their team the Golden Panthers instead of the Panthers. But I will not be correcting that article. I will never log off.

@crimsonquarry their 3 decent bars (D-Lux, Dill St, Cleos) were put out of business bc students flocked to the new Brothers.

— IU Bonko (@ElBonko) June 10, 2016

I've never been to Muncie so I can't verify this. But the Brothers in Bloomington, at least, is fine. $2 beers from a huge draft selection on Thursday nights is pretty good, and the second floor deck is great in the summer. I watched a lot of World Cup there in 2014. Not a bad place to catch up with friends or watch a game.

@crimsonquarry they suck but have our number

— Mitch Meyer (@mymanmitch23) June 11, 2016

Yep. This sums up Ball State football.

The CQ Summer Preview Series will run every week, focusing on a different 2016 Indiana Football opponent each time. Next up: Wake Forest