#6 Indiana State

Indiana State is a team that confuses me. Last year they had a ton of offensive firepower, and Shakir Bell was (and still is) arguably the best back in the Missouri Valley, yet they went 6-5 and choked against Southern Illinois in the last game of the year. Bell ran for over 1700 yards last season and found the endzone 14 times; he will likely reproduce those numbers in 2012.

Indiana State's DL, Ben Obaseki (Valley.org)

 In the past three years, Indiana State has made significant progress. Starting in 2008 with the introduction as Trent Miles as the new head coach, Indiana State has seen better recruiting, better coaching, and better results on the field. QB Ronnie Fouch brought consistent, quality play at quarterback giving Indiana State a legitimate passing threat to counter Shakir Bell. In 2012 with the loss of Fouch, the question will be whether the next Indiana State QB, whoever it may be, will continue to provide balance to the Sycamore offense. Indiana State should see another progressive season, and maybe even a break out season if the stars align. 

The Sycamores have also made tremendous progress on the defensive side of the ball. Prior to the Indiana State resurgence from the bottom of the MVFC, the Sycamores had one of the worst defenses I had ever seen. There was no passion. The scheme was there, but it wasn't executed. Offenses throughout the MVFC torched the Sycs and would regularly score over 40 points. That hell for Syc fans is over. Now, last season opponents averaged a score of 27 points against the sycamores, that point total is skewed somewhat by the Penn State game. Indiana State will need to continue this defensive progression in 2012 in order to move further up the MVFC standings. The Sycamores return star LB Aaron Archie who made 122 stops last season including three sacks. On the defensive line, Indiana State also returns leading sack producer, Ben Obaseki. 

The Sycamores have a great out-of-conference season balance. They have their money game against the Hoosiers then come back home for two easy wins. Entering the South Dakota State game, Indiana State should be 2-1 (I would love it to be 3-0, considering I am a Purdue fan) with a good amount of momentum.

The other thing to mention about Indiana State's schedule is the absence of Northern Iowa. If the Sycamores stay consistent and pull of wins against the teams they should beat, they should be looking at a 7-4, or even 8-3 season if they pull off an upset. Indiana State is a team on the rise. The past few years the team has been developing young talent. This year year that young talent turns into upperclassmen with something to prove. Will the Sycs progress enough to move to that next tier in the MVFC? I'm excited to find out.