More Equitable Schedules Moving Forward Gives Allen and IU More Opportunity
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Written by Ethan Roberts
The Purdue Boilermakers kick off their 2023 campaign the same day as the Hoosiers, Saturday, Sept 2. Coach Ryan Walters and company will face Fresno State. The script is different for Bloomington, where they will begin conference play against powerhouse Ohio State. Coach Tom Allen recognizes the challenge ahead of them.
“My first season (opener) was the Ohio State Buckeyes back in 2017,” Allen said. “So, challenging, yes, but I would say it forces you to grow up real fast. So, the urgency that the offseason is impacted by this reality of who you play to open the season, I think it helps you. It helps you grow. It helps you have that attention to detail at a high level.”
The Hoosier finished their 2022 season 2-7 in conference play, but Allen chose to look at the silver lining.
“Our word for 2023 is ‘toughness’,” Allen said. “We define that as a mental and physical strength to persevere. We had eight games last season that were decided in the fourth quarter. So, for the past seven months we’ve been building our toughness and developing this football team to be able to finish those opportunities.”
The Hoosiers are still trying to find their footing in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, they are being thrown a lifesaver by the powers that be. Divisions will be abolished prior to the 2024 season. This allows Indiana’s schedule a much-needed break from the murderer’s row that they had been facing for years: The Big Ten East.
“Bottom line is new opportunities,” Allen said. “You’re going to see equitable schedules where teams are going to be playing teams more equally across the conference, which I think is a great thing, that excites me as well, and playing some different teams on a more consistent basis.”
Not only will divisions be abolished in 2024, but we will be welcoming new members to our friendly Midwest club. University of Southern California and University of California Los Angeles. Their respective names are typed out completely to represent the distance between California and New Jersey, an approximate distance of 2,800 miles.
Be that as it may, this opens the door for several scheduling opportunities for a premier conference in college football.
“I think when you look at bringing in UCLA and USC, that’s exciting,” Allen said. “2024, UCLA comes to us; 2025, we go out to California and play USC. Last time we played the Trojans, O.J. Simpson was the tailback”.
The stronger conference prestige will allow the Big Ten to compete with the SEC in ratings, which at the end of the days is likely the reason that UCLA is considering playing football in the snow.
“There’s a lot of great football teams in this conference,” Allen said. “Everybody’s schedule is going to be tough, and I’m excited for the future of the Big Ten.”