Last season was a special one for the Indiana Hoosiers. Losing coach Terry Hoeppner prior to the season to brain cancer, the team rallied around new coach Bill Lynch and lived by Hoeppner’s motto of “Play 13″, as the Hoosiers had endured a drought in terms of making a bowl game. In grand fashion, Indiana did in fact make it into the postseason at the Insight Bowl, even though they were trounced by Oklahoma State. With the bowl game under their belt, the Hoosiers should be thinking bigger and better, right?

Well, sure–in theory. But that may all rest on the fate of one player–that of dual threat Kellen Lewis, who even without star receiver this year was primed to really do some damage to Big Ten defenses. The issue lies in whether Lewis will in fact be with Indiana, as he has been indefinitely suspended for unspecified team rule breaking since early spring, and it’s unclear as to the direction his situation will take.

Lewis’ leadership will be sorely missed if the Hoosiers don’t reinstate him; if he plays, they may be able to make it back to a bowl game for a second consecutive year. The team brings back 13 starters overall, and with Marcus Thigpen being the main running threat besides Lewis, there could be a change back to a more run-oriented offense overall. The defense has always been a question mark for Indiana, but concerns at cornerback should be quelled after a strong spring by the secondary. The offensive line remains a shaky question mark for the team as well. It seems where Indiana has big strengths at some positions, they have glaring issues at others.

It’s hard to really piece out a prediction pending Lewis’ status, and while I know one player doesn’t make a team, it really will make a difference overall in the scheme of things whether Indiana wins 4 games or maybe even 8. It’s that wide of a margin. Stay tuned, I know the folks in Bloomington are.