The Indiana Hoosiers are bringing back 17 starters from an 8-5 team and in more than a few quarters the talk has turned to Indiana having the right stuff to challenge the titans of the B1G East: Michigan, Penn State, and the mighty Buckeyes.

Now the Hoosiers have named the team captains who will lead them into those Saturday battles across the Midwest. They are quarterback Michael Penix, Jr., center Harry Crider, defensive back Marcelino Ball, and linebackers Micah McFadden and Cam Jones.

Ball, a redshirt senior, is scheduled for surgery this week to repair a torn ACL and will miss the season, according to Zach Osterman of the Indy Star. 

Indiana is coming off a big year in 2019, but there’s a big expectation for the Hoosiers to look even better this fall. With the amount of returning talent and experience returning on both sides of the football, there’s a belief Tom Allen can lead the program to another winning season and an upset of one of the bigger names in the B1G.

Indiana will open the season with a tough test, hosting Penn State in 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 24.