Indiana @ North Texas Football Preview

In terms of pure significance or national buzz, this weekend's game between a lower-end Big Ten school and a struggling Sun Belt Conference club won't register very strongly. In terms of competitive balance and intrigue, a late-September soiree could provide a fantastic finish and some high-wire theatrics.

A week after grabbing their first win under first-year head coach Kevin Wilson, the Indiana Hoosiers will travel to Denton, Texas, to face the North Texas Mean Green on Saturday night. Last week, the Hoosiers defeated South Carolina State 38-21 in Bloomington despite a school-record 20 penalties.  Indiana had 557 yards of total offense.  Edward Wright-Baker completed 21 of 27 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns.  Duwyce Wilson caught six passes for 101 yards. Wright-Baker has completed 57 of 89 passes for 716 yards and four touchdowns this season.  His top receiver is Damarlo Belcher, with 14 catches for 190 yards and a touchdown.

Indiana did get a win in week three, but one needs to remember that the Hoosiers were playing a Football Championship Subdivision foe. They didn't blow South Carolina State completely out of the water, which means that they might get a game from North Texas. The week before beating SCSU, Indiana lost a heartbreaker, 34-31, against a Virginia team that's toiling in the lower reaches of the ACC. Indiana can't expect to waltz into Denton and easily drill the Mean Green. North Texas is grasping for something to cling to in the Sun Belt, but UNT just might be able to put up a fight against the Hoosiers.

It's true that North Texas is still looking for its first win of the season. It's true that last week, the Mean Green lost 41-0 at No. 2 Alabama.  It's true that UNT was outgained 586-169. However, the Mean Green absorbed the kind of butt-kicking that could teach them a thing or two about Xs and Os while also motivating them to do better against a more beatable opponent... an opponent such as Indiana.

The game against  Alabama wasn't a total waste, either. The Mean Green were able to sack Crimson Tide quarterbacks four times, and made several stops in the red zone. If UNT can play a similarly resolute brand of defense and generate at least some scoring punch, this game has the feel of a relatively even battle.

Say this much: Indiana can't roll the ball on the field and expect to dominate without any resistance.

> More 2009 College Football Previews from CollegeSports-fans.com