Indian Football Preview For 2015-2016 Season

Three college football teams make up the Indiana portion of NCAA Division I football, with the Indiana Hoosiers and Purdue Boilermakers coming from the Big Ten and Notre Dame remaining an independent. The lone Indiana professional sports team for NFL in the state remains the Indianapolis Colts, who begin their 32nd season, which now means they've been in that city longer than their Baltimore period.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2015 Football Season Preview

Brian Kelly's 2014 team watched a 7-1 start end with an 8-5 finish, with the twin causes being the youth on the squad and, most importantly, injuries. With the transfer of Everett Golson, Malik Zaire will handle the job at quarterback. Zaire will be under severe pressure to produce, but he has Will Fuller at wide receiver, who grabbed 76 passes for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Tarean Folston will be the main running option, and will be the beneficiary of an effective line that has plenty of experience opening up holes. The Fighting Irish defense fell apart in the last eight games, due in part to linebacker Joe Schmidt's broken ankle. However, the weak pass rush all during the season was just as costly. One key returnee in the secondary will be Keivarae Russell at cornerback, and like all Notre Dame teams, depth (without injuries) is never really a problem.

Indiana Hoosiers 2015 Football Season Preview

The bowl game drought for the Hoosiers has gotten to the frustration point, which means that head coach Kevin Wilson's job might be in danger with another shut out come December. Nate Sudfeld returns at quarterback after missing the latter half of the 2014 college football season due to injury. This could help Wilson's chances, but the head coach needs UAB transfer Jordan Howard, who ran for nearly 1,600 yards in 2014, to make his mark.

Two transfers, one of them another UAB refugee in Marqui Hawkins, will offer receiving targets and have good size. The signal caller will also benefit from a solid line led by Jason Spriggs at tackle and Dan Feeney at guard. The Hoosier defense improved in 2014, but still has a long way to go. Linebacker remains a perennial problem and the secondary needs breakthrough seasons for a number of players. The litmus test to reach a bowl game is only six games, which is a possibility for Indiana, but getting there won't be easy.

Purdue Boilermakers 2015 Football Season Preview

Third-year head coach Darrell Hazell has 16 starters coming back for the 2015 college football season, but still figures to have his problems competing in the Big Ten West Division. Austin Appleby will return at quarterback, but he may be on a short leash after poor play late in the 2014 campaign. Meanwhile, the running game has talent in Markell Jones and Keyante Green, the latter of whom saw limited time last year.

Danny Anthrop leads an average receiving unit, but may not be completely healthy from his December knee surgery. The strongest area of the offense will be on the line, with all five starters returning, including senior Robert Kugler at the center spot. Arguably, the main problem for the Boilermakers in 2014 was the defense, but that was primarily due to a unit heavily laden with sophomores and freshmen. Key men here will be Ja'Whaun Bentley at middle linebacker and Frankie Williams in the secondary.

Indianapolis Colts 2015 NFL Season Preview

After an impressive win to knock out Denver in the 2014 NFL playoffs, the Indianapolis Colts followed that up by getting pounded by the New England Patriots in the AFC title game, a loss that helped spark the Deflategate scandal. The Colts are seen as strong contenders to reach Super Bowl 50, especially since they still have Andrew Luck behind center. One issue Luck has to change is his 12 interceptions in six postseason games.

The Trent Richardson trade turned out to be a massive bust, so former 49er Frank Gore has been put in his place. The only question with Gore is whether his career yardage will catch up to him at the age of 32. The Colts also signed Andre Johnson at wide receiver and can pair him with Ty Hilton, with rookie Phillip Dorsett looking to quickly develop into an option as well.

Each side of the line has major question marks, with the defensive line having to battle the perception that they can't compete against the best teams. That was evident in the measly three sacks in five games versus playoff teams. The rest of the defense is also nothing that will make people talk about the Super Bowl, with the proof coming in the 45 points the team allowed against the Patriots. How the Colts handle this problem will determine the course of their 2015 season.

Betting Considerations

If you enjoy partaking in legal Indiania sports betting, we recommend you do so on the Colts team totals to go over. Their offense is potent, and because their defense leaves a lot to be desired, I think Andrew Luck will be airing the ball out quite a bit this year making the overs the best bet on the board imho.