There is a hallowed football tradition in Bloomington at the beginning of every school year.

No, I’m not talking about a march of the players down a main campus road. It’s not a huge pep rally held by the students at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers’ tradition does not revolve around sacred trees like Auburn or stickers on their helmets like Ohio State.

This pastime involves a magnet and an array of eager students.

No one will ever argue that Indiana has a strong fan base for football. When comparing the fan’s enthusiasm for football and basketball, it’s obvious Tom Crean’s crew owns Bloomington.

However, that in no way means there isn’t big love for IU football. Deep within the belly of Bloomington there are thousands of students who hold out hope and consider themselves die hard Hoosier football fans.

That brings us back to the storied tradition that occurs each fall on the Indiana University campus.

Students will eventually find in their hands a small magnet schedule. They can find these all over town being handed out by the athletic department and food establishments eager to attain youthful customers.

The IU faithful then peruse the schedule, game by game, and try to convince themselves that IU will win enough this year to make a bowl game.

“We can beat Illinois at home,” says one student. While another convinces his roommate that the Bucket Game will be won by IU. One way or another they conclude Indiana will win enough – barely – to make a bowl game.

Then, the Hoosiers falter early and everyone gears up for basketball season.

What a fantastic tradition.

Anyone speaking realistically cannot expect IU to have great success in 2011. There are so many question marks and new faces that anything could happen.

But that is one reason to be excited. Instead of the same old lofty expectations met by the same reasons for failure, there are infinite possibilities. Bill Lynch was a great man and put everything he had into the head coaching position. Plain and simple, it just didn’t work.

Kevin Wilson hopes to bring the passion back to IU Football and fill Memorial Stadium on a regular basis

Kevin Wilson has come in and immediately demanded more of the team. Players are being pushed to new levels and the hope is his hiring will be the start of a turnaround for the football team.

Kevin Wilson brings a resume of success with him after implementing a prolific offense as coordinator for Oklahoma. He was the mind behind Sam Bradford’s record breaking season in 2008 and was recognized as the top assistant in college football.

This is the first time he will be head coach of a major college football team and how Wilson handles the job will be a story line throughout the season. Although Coach Wilson has had great success with the spread and no huddle offenses, he has not determined what kind of system will be used. That’s probably because he’s not sure who the quarterback will be.

The Hoosiers have lost their two best offensive weapons in Ben Chappell and Tandon Doss. The quarterback and wide receiver production were the main reasons behind any of IU’s offensive success.

Without them, there are so many questions, it’s hard to figure out where to begin.

The three quarterbacks on the roster are Edward Wright-Baker, Dusty Kiel, and Adam Follet, with Kiel and Wright-Baker expected to battle for the starting job.

The offense could look very different for each quarterback, especially Wright-Baker, who is a tremendous runner.

Wilson is probably counting on the return of a healthy Darius Willis to anchor the backfield. Damarlo Belcher has been a solid wide receiver during his time in Bloomington, but will have to step up without Doss and Terrance Turner. And tight end Ted Bolser has emerged as a surprising threat and could see a bigger role in 2011.

On the other side of the ball, the defense in 2010 was poor in most areas. Five starters will be gone including Mitchell Evans and Tyler Replogle leading to a lot of competition for spots. Evans was extremely versatile, playing on both sides of the ball during his career and provided valued leadership as well.

If the defense becomes worse, than Indiana will have a tough time surviving. The hope among the program is that the new mentality instilled by Coach Wilson and his staff will have an effect on the players. Improving on fundamentals such as group tackling and proper communication could alleviate problems that occurred time and again in 2010.

2011 will be very different for Indiana.

There are obvious changes in every aspect of the program that could lead to a very tough year. There is also the possibility that the team comes together and surprise everyone under new leadership.

After three disappointing seasons, heading into unchartered territory will be welcomed by Hoosier fans. It will give them a little hope while looking at their magnet schedules.