@iunorth I know both series were scheduled before Cig was here, but I don't think we cancelled UVA until this year... googling showed the first articles I see about it in July 2025, and I don't think that series started until next year. But, to your question: I don't think we should have cancelled them period. If SD and CC feel we needed to schedule 3 cupcakes, then play the games you agreed to and adjust the schedule then. As it is, I bet we'll be scrambling to add a P5 opponent before the ND series. Scheduling is a crapshoot. We could have scheduled VA Tech, Duke, or Clemson for that matter 3-4 years ago and thought we were getting a top 25 opponent, but now, not so much. And scheduling Vandy or Mizzou during that same period would've been the opposite. I acknowledge there's a risk involved, I just think it's one that we'd benefit from more often than having it hurt us. And, it's one we'll need to take if our goal is to ever actually do something in the years we make the playoffs.
I don't think our fans will lose interest at our first 8-4 season. I won't, but have not attended anyway, just hope to each year at least one game going forward.
I'll still be upbeat if we go 9-3 and play some ranked team one of the few remaining decent bowl games. Prefer the playoff. But that takes at a minimum 10-2. And the narrative could easily leave us out. ND, 'Bama, any of those teams beat us out if they have two losses. And we may lose two, or more. Hope not but we have more than just two challenges left. Maybe we won't lose any...
I don't care about the playoff at all yet. It's too fun to be taking one game at a time! Beat Oregon! The regular season is fun! Not looking ahead to losing any of them. See what shakes out.
@kkott Using last year as an example... If they lose to Louisville...they probably never even get mentioned for CFP consideration the rest of the season, outside maybe some "if they beat OSU" then they'll play their way in type talk...they also don't get Big Noon, they don't get Gameday. If they did beat Louisville... the hype would have been exactly the same as it ended up being. And the environment at Louisville, or Lucas Oil, wherever they were gonna play, in September, wouldn't have done much of anything to prepare them for Columbus or South Bend. Not hyped enough, not electric enough, not teams on the same planet as those teams.
The ONLY way what your advocating for makes sense is if they schedule a top 20 level team, that also has a top 20 level stadium and environment. Neither Louisville or Virginia provide those things. LSU, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Notre Dame... sure.
And if the B10 makes a similar mandate that SEC just made...IU will find a B12 or ACC opponent, I'm sure. Nearly all the SEC schools already were playing one of their 4 OOC games against a rival P4 opponent. Florida/Miami, South Carolina/Clemson, Kentucky/Louisville, as examples. The Texas schools will probably stay away from other Texas schools. The risk of losing ground recruiting wise in the state, far outweighs the nostalgia of Texas playing SMU again. So, Texas Tech, Baylor, SMU, TCU, Houston, etc... might all be in play. Kansas, Kansas State, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Boston College...all schools off the top of my head that would be candidates. Someone won't be tied up in a rivalry game, and will jump at scheduling a CFP candidate B10 team like IU.
If we want to do more in the playoffs someday, or get to the playoffs more often, the primary driver will be improved recruiting. The staff does a great job with this, but I'm talking about more NIL to afford bigger, faster, stronger, and more talented players to better match-up against the sort of guys the the top-15 programs have. Every team in the top-10 and most in the top-20 have way more player payroll than we do -- like 40% to 100% more. It's amazing what our staff gets from our guys.
I don't think a mid-tier P4 non-con is going to make a difference.
Well, you still want to draw fans, and give some options for people who's schedule works best to attend in September.
It is a fine line to figure out 'someone we should beat most of the time but have the fans see it as compelling' .
@openwheel We very nearly packed the stadium in our 3 cupcakes this year. And if we CFP again, I suspect we'd fully pack all 3 of them next year, no matter who they are.
Outside a B10 mandate...if I'm Cig... I either go Big Game hunting with the bigger SEC programs that might be looking for a more manageable P4 game after adding a 9th SEC game. LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, Texas, might be examples of teams that would see IU as a good OOC opponent... Or I stick to my guns and schedule 2 obvious cupcakes, and 1 good Sun Beltish program at home.
Next year might work well to start up a home and home with a powerhouse program like one mentioned above. IU should get 5 home B10 games next year. Gotta try to set it up so you get 7 home games every year.
Our conference slate at home this year isn't too interesting and we sold it out (I'm assuming Wisky will sell out).
Our cupcake crowds were so-so, but the tickets were overpriced ($65 for the general public -- way high, especially vs. our peers).
Our fanbase is still small, but it's growing.
@iu2win of course it also depends on how many other 10-2 teams there are. May not be a lot after the SEC gets finished beating each other up.
we "struggled" compared to what expectations were in regards to the scoreboard. That's what matters in the world of perception. Finebaum didn't watch that game. Doubt he's spent any time digesting the stats. Hence his opinion of us. He's not alone. Look we are on the same side here. I looking at this from the rest of college football's lens. I think we are a very good if not great team. But we are talking about why we aren't given the respect. That game is one reason why for this season thus far. And our history. That said we've opened a lot of eyes and with each victory we open more. We go into Eugene and walk out with a W .... we open all eyes perhaps with the exception of Finebaums
I appreciate your opinion here. What really angers me is this; why is IU singled out for scheduling the exact same way nearly every single P4 team, plus ND, schedules?
It's because the SEC panicked last year when they realized IU was a true top 10 team last year and not only deserved a spot in the CFP, but also deserved a home game in the CFP.
ESPN, being the media partner of the SEC and also holding broadcast rights to the CFP, picked the low hanging fruit of IU (because of those 700+ losses) to attack and people, like sheep, follow along.
@iunorth Good points about the risks of losing to Lville last year, but it's easy to argue about last year after the fact and that we wound up 11-1. I'm looking going forward; just how many years do you think we'll be 11-1 or better? I'm guessing for every one of those, we'll have 3-4 where we end up with 2 or 3 losses, and wish we had a chance to improve our lot with a better precon opponent. Can't speak to Lvilles game environment, but I've been to a game in Charlottesville and it was packed and loud. Not to mention the benefit of gaining the experience of playing in a tight game, which is far more likely to happen against the opponents I'm suggesting. I'm sure I'm probably wrong, after all I'm on the opposite of guys named Dolson and Cignetti, but I still think there is more benefit to playing better teams early, and frankly shocked at how many people seem to disagree. Is the saying "cupcakes sharpen iron"?
why is IU singled out for scheduling the exact same way nearly every single P4 team, plus ND, schedules?
Because we're new to the party, and the "have's" aren't going to welcome us in with open arms. I don't even know how valid it is. OSU played Texas this year and UM went to OK, and we know IA played IA St. PSU had a trash precon, but they're one of the "haves". We're going to have to fight for what we get to be allowed to eat at the big boy table, imo.
this history is what it is. It's part of the narrative they sell. Which influences perception. We are fighting an uphill battle. Last year it worked out. We smashed all of our precon opponents. ODU might be a good team but they aren't perceived as such. So not blowing them out at home isn't scoring us any points with those that control the narrative. And as kkott said. We are in the have nots column at this point. We have to earn our way in... imo playing at least one P4 team in precon is a better approach ... yes we could lose the game but it's likely perceived as a "good" loss.
@kkott I think the Calculus is changing... I still don't think choosing to schedule a mid/low level P4 team in OOC makes a ton of sense. To me, that's making a decision based of unimportant things like perception from TV analysts, perceptions from other fan bases, etc... Up until now, I think they've done what's best for IU football. Dolson and Cig saw what worked last year, how the early 3 wins built momentum, and decided to increase the chances of that happening again. Substitute IU for FSU, and hang a loss at Virginia on our resume heading in to B10 play. We're probably barely ranked, we're not currently in any CFP discussions, the environment for Illinois is probably not nearly as electric...
If B10 mandates it, I think Dolson and Cig should look really hard for an elite level home and home. LSU, Florida, Tennessee, Texas... a team like that. Maybe a top tier SEC team will be scrambling to adjust their schedule because of the 9th conference game?
***I see all those teams are already inked with good P4 OOC games. Ole Miss looks like they're needing a game. Hopefully Cig/Dolson are pursuing that. Give them the game in Oxford next year, since we should have 5 home B10 games.
@kkott I think the Calculus is changing... I still don't think choosing to schedule a mid/low level P4 team in OOC makes a ton of sense. To me, that's making a decision based of unimportant things like perception from TV analysts, perceptions from other fan bases, etc... Up until now, I think they've done what's best for IU football. Dolson and Cig saw what worked last year, how the early 3 wins built momentum, and decided to increase the chances of that happening again. Substitute IU for FSU, and hang a loss at Virginia on our resume heading in to B10 play. We're probably barely ranked, we're not currently in any CFP discussions, the environment for Illinois is probably not nearly as electric...
If B10 mandates it, I think Dolson and Cig should look really hard for an elite level home and home. LSU, Florida, Tennessee, Texas... a team like that. Maybe a top tier SEC team will be scrambling to adjust their schedule because of the 9th conference game?
***I see all those teams are already inked with good P4 OOC games. Ole Miss looks like they're needing a game. Hopefully Cig/Dolson are pursuing that. Give them the game in Oxford next year, since we should have 5 home B10 games.
My guess is that any mandates for a P4 non-con won't show up until 2027 at the earliest.
... Is the saying "cupcakes sharpen iron"?Maybe the oil from the butter is used for the quench to temper the steel.