Outback Bowl Presents Benefits for the Indiana Hoosiers and Their Fans
/
Image: Indiana University Athletics
Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
The Indiana Hoosiers fan base spent much of Sunday fuming at the #11 Hoosiers being left out of the New Year’s Six bowl games. Three-loss Iowa State and Florida and two-loss Georgia were all chosen ahead of 6-1 Indiana. Former athletic director Fred Glass publicly indicted the “good old-boy network” of Big Ten football that actively works to keep the Hoosiers from improving as a football program with scathing remarks. Head coach Tom Allen was visibly fired-up in his Zoom call with the media. To rub salt in the wounds of being excluded from the Fiesta Bowl, IU was passed over by the Citrus Bowl who chose to select Northwestern. While Indiana is undoubtedly furious to be relegated to the Outback Bowl, this is a bowl destination that presents benefits and an excellent opportunity.
The Outback Bowl, celebrating its 35th anniversary, is an excellent bowl game and it is an event IU has never been a part of. As Tom Allen noted in his press conference, the Outback Bowl is a game IU was striving for just a season ago. The primary benefit for the Hoosiers, outside of the additional practice time, is the aid this game could have in recruiting. Since Tom Allen joined the IU staff, the Hoosiers have recruited Florida like a second home-state. The Sunshine State has a lot of roots for Tom Allen and the IU program. He coached high school football there, he worked at the University of South Florida. His kids have friends there. Several assistant coaches have connections and ties to the state. 20 current players made the decision to leave Florida and play for Tom Allen in Bloomington. For those players, it is a chance to play in their home-state. Several notable Hoosiers actually call Tampa home: Juwan Burgess, Jonathan King, James Miller, Micah McFadden and Whop Philyor will all take the field playing in the city they grew up. Indiana quarterback Michael Penix is also from Tampa, but will not play in the bowl game due to an ACL injury. For the coaches, it is a chance to showcase the program in a recruiting hotbed that they invest heavily in. The hope is that will lead to more athletes seeing what the Hoosiers are all about and heading north to play in Cream and Crimson.
“There’s no question,” Tom Allen said when asked if this could benefit recruiting. “I think just being in the whole state any, there’s no question.”
The Outback Bowl and the state of Florida are allowing fans so for the first time all season, the Indiana Hoosiers will be able to play in front of more than just family. Tom Allen hopes Hoosier Nation takes advantage of that opportunity.
“The fact that we can actually have fans, you know, our fans have not seen us play. I’m so excited that our fans get to come to this game. Many, many of our loyal fans have not had a chance to see the 2020 Indiana Hoosiers play and man I hope they come in droves and they support this team like they never have before. This team deserves it.”
The biggest opportunity though, does not come in the stands and it does not come in recruiting or the ability to play in a city with great memories or connections. The Outback Bowl represents another chance for the Hoosiers to fulfill a program goal. Something they have to do in order to take the next step as a program and continue the building of something special in Bloomington. Indiana has another chance to win a bowl game. Despite the disappointment of being overlooked and the naysayers doubting IU’s credentials and the cancellation of the Bucket game, none of those things will stop Tom Allen’s Hoosiers from being ready to take on the Ole Miss Rebels.
“We’ve put out goals for this program,” Tom Allen said. “Winning a bowl game is very, very important to me and to what we’re trying to build here. I think this fan base knows me well enough. This football team will be ready when we take the field on January 2 at 12:30 in Tampa, Florida, period.”