News » Indiana Hoosiers football is known for one thing

falling agonizingly short against more talented teams. IU’s seemingly weekly flailing against ranked opponents has helped earn the team the internet nickname “CHAOS TEAM.”It’s been going for five years now Black De'Vondre Campbell Jersey , and Indiana fans were writing about how sick they were of it three years ago. The trend began in 2014.The Hoosiers led No. 6 Ohio State by six until 17 minutes remained, then lost by 15,and led No. 8 Michigan State in the second quarter, then lost 56-17.And it really got rolling in 2015.They lost by a touchdown to No. 1 Ohio State,lost by eight to No. 10 Iowa,were within two of No. 7 Michigan State in the fourth quarter, before losing by 26,and led by a touchdown to No. 15 Michigan in double overtime, just for good measure.Also in 2015, IU's first bowl game in a decade ended with a controversial missed field goal.2016 was ruthless, as anticipated.They lost by five to No. 10 Nebraska,led No. 12 Penn State 31-28 in the fourth quarter before losing by 14,and led No. 4 Michigan in the third quarter before losing.Also in 2016, Indiana's second bowl game in a decade-plus came down to a kick. Utah made it.2017 was brutal, as is standard.They led No. 2 Ohio State 21-20 in the third and lost by 28, took No. 17 Michigan to overtime but lost, 27-20 Youth Matt Ryan Jersey ,and led No. 9 Wisconsin by 10 in the second before losing by 28.2018 has loosely held to the same script.They pulled to within 7 of No. 24 Michigan State in the fourth, then gave up a 75-yard run almost immediately and lost by 14,trailed No. 3 Ohio State by a TD at the half before losing by 23,recovered an onside kick with a chance to beat No. 18 Penn State, but came about 50 yards short,and led No. 4 Michigan at the half in Ann Arbor and was within a TD late, but lost by 11.We’re sorry, Indiana fans.This whole thing already seems impossible, and somehow, it keeps going. Le’Veon Bell had until 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 13 to report to Steelers if he was going to play this season. That’s not going to happen. He will not show up to the team’s facility before that deadline. Bell has now become the first player since Chiefs defensive tackle Dan Williams in 1998 to hold out for an entire season because of the franchise tag.Bell could have earned $14.5 million if he had played all season under the tag for a second straight season. However, he held out to protest his inability to come to terms on a market-resetting, long-term contract with the Steelers, as well as minimize the risk of suffering a major injury that could diminish or even destroy his value as a prospective free agent. Bell held out last year after he was franchise-tagged, but he returned to the Steelers right before the regular season began. While early reports suggested he’d return to the only franchise he’s ever known by the time the regular season rolled around, his holdout pushed through the first half of 2018 and will now last the whole year. The move upset fans and teammates — but Earl Thomas’ broken leg served as a stark reminder of how fickle the football gods can be. What’s next for Le’Veon Bell?Bell won’t play in 2018, but his decision to hold out will likely free him from Pittsburgh’s grasp in the offseason. There are a couple different ways his offseason could go:Free agencyThe Steelers could decide to wash their hands of Bell and let him walk. He’s set to become a free agent this offseason, as long as the Steelers don’t try to tag him again. The franchise tagThis one is highly unlikely. Under the league’s collective bargaining agreement Youth Keanu Neal Jersey , retaining the tailback’s rights under the franchise tag next spring would cost the Steelers the average of the league’s five highest annual salaries for ‘19 — somewhere in the market of $25-26 million.The transition tagThe Steelers won’t pay Bell quarterback-type money, so it’s much more likely that if Pittsburgh makes an effort to retain Bell, or at least retain his rights in order to trade him, it’ll do so via the transition tag. That tag would cost the same as what the franchise was suppose to this year ($14.5 million), but it would also allow Bell to field contract offers from other teams. While the Steelers would have the right to match the terms of any deal he agreed to, but they’d have to either match it in its entirety or allow him to leave. That makes it especially likely he’ll return to the field wearing another team’s colors in 2019. Will Bell still command the money he’s looking for?But two questions remain:a) whether he’ll receive the mega-deal with big money guarantees the Steelers failed to offer, andb) if he’ll be the same player after sitting out a season.It’s tough to tell what impact a holdout will have on Bell’s value as a player, but just getting out of Pittsburgh would do wonders for his guaranteed money even if he doesn’t get the $17 million annual salary he desires. The Steelers have been reticent to offer large downside guarantees with their big contracts; the guaranteed money for players like Cameron Heyward, Antonio Brown, and Stephon Tuitt only covers about 20-25 percent of the total value of their deals.Meanwhile, Todd Gurley’s deal with the Rams offers him $45 million in guarantees on a $57.5m extension. Jerick McKinnon’s contract in San Francisco locks him in for $18 million on a $30m deal. Bell may wind up settling for less than he wanted in overall value once he hits the free agent market, but he’ll get significantly more in guarantees than the Steelers had set aside.While sitting out a full season raises questions about his level of play, Bell will return to the league in 2019 refreshed and injury free. He’ll also only be 27 years old next season. He should be able to return to form; Marshawn Lynch’s performance with a disheveled Raiders team at age 31 and 32 after a brief retirement serves as proof of this.Bell was a first-team All-Pro in 2017, but he was also relatively inefficient as a runner. His 4.0 yards per carry was nearly a full yard less than his 2016 average. And while he made a career-high 85 catches he only turned those opportunities into 655 yards and a pair of touchdowns.Still, even a diminished Bell is a unique threat. He sprang for 1,946 yards from scrimmage in 15 games last fall, even after a slow start that may have been related to the holdout that kept him out of practice during the preseason. While James Conner’s rise has made that performance look a little less special Youth Julio Jones Jersey , whoever gets Bell in 2019 is getting an upper-tier tailback in the deal.What does this mean for the Steelers?Pittsburgh struggled to start the 2018 season, but has rebounded to turn a 1-2-1 beginning into a spot atop the AFC North by Halloween. Getting Bell back could have been found money, and his extra gear could be enough to paper over the team’s flaws elsewhere. While many of the Steelers’ biggest problems come on the defensive side of the ball, adding another playmaker could be the difference between a good offense and a great one.But it may not matter, because the Steelers are currently rolling. Bell’s replacement, James Conner, has done his part to make the club forget about its veteran All-Pro. The second-year running back broke onto the scene with a 135-yard, two-touchdown performance in a Week 1 tie against the Browns, then languished with 97 yards on 37 carries his next three games. That helped support Bell’s case as an elite rushing talent — until it didn’t.Conner rebounded in a major way, rushing for 539 yards and seven touchdowns in his next five games, all Steeler wins. He currently ranks third in the NFL with 777 rushing yards at an efficient 4.7 yards per carry. He’s also made 39 receptions for 387 yards — a 9.9 yard-per-catch average that exceeds all but one of Bell’s single-season marks.This is all to say that Conner certainly looks like a star NFL running back, albeit over a small sample size. And while that doesn’t make Bell obsolete, it’s certainly lessened the impact of his missed games.Now he’ll get the opportunity to prove he can be a true lead back over the course of a full season without having to look over his shoulder to see if Bell’s in his rear view or not.