Looking back at IU football history

[Al Bino]

Thought I would take a little time and look at where Tom Allen's first two years fits in with IU football history. Since in the past they didn't play as many games per season, I looked strictly at winning %. Right or wrong, I counted a tie the same as a loss. Obviously there is no way to account for the amount of talent that was left when the new coach took over.

James Sheldon is on top with a 75% in 1906-07
Madison G. Gonterman 71% in 1896-97
James H. Horne 51% in 1898-99
Jumbo Stiehm 50% in 1916-17
Phil Dickens 50% in 1958-59
William A. Ingram 47% in 1923-24
Bo McMillin 44% in 1934-35
Clarence C. Childs 43% in 1914-15
Tom Allen 42% in 2017-18
Bill Lynch 40% in 2007-08
Pat Page 38% in 1926-27

So TA has the second best winning % since WWII.

Comments?

 

[Davehack]

Thought I would take a little time and look at where Tom Allen's first two years fits in with IU football history. Since in the past they didn't play as many games per season, I looked strictly at winning %. Right or wrong, I counted a tie the same as a loss. Obviously there is no way to account for the amount of talent that was left when the new coach took over.

James Sheldon is on top with a 75% in 1906-07
Madison G. Gonterman 71% in 1896-97
James H. Horne 51% in 1898-99
Jumbo Stiehm 50% in 1916-17
Phil Dickens 50% in 1958-59
William A. Ingram 47% in 1923-24
Bo McMillin 44% in 1934-35
Clarence C. Childs 43% in 1914-15
Tom Allen 42% in 2017-18
Bill Lynch 40% in 2007-08
Pat Page 38% in 1926-27

So TA has the second best winning % since WWII.

Comments?

I haven't done the research and don't plan too, but I suspect that 38 to 40% win rate max is typical of most years of IU football regardless where it falls in a coaches tenure.
In fact I think some coaches, and Mallory and Corso come to mind, actually had declining records over their later years.
Still my team and always will be.

 

[Bowlmania]

Thought I would take a little time and look at where Tom Allen's first two years fits in with IU football history. Since in the past they didn't play as many games per season, I looked strictly at winning %. Right or wrong, I counted a tie the same as a loss. Obviously there is no way to account for the amount of talent that was left when the new coach took over.

James Sheldon is on top with a 75% in 1906-07
Madison G. Gonterman 71% in 1896-97
James H. Horne 51% in 1898-99
Jumbo Stiehm 50% in 1916-17
Phil Dickens 50% in 1958-59
William A. Ingram 47% in 1923-24
Bo McMillin 44% in 1934-35
Clarence C. Childs 43% in 1914-15
Tom Allen 42% in 2017-18
Bill Lynch 40% in 2007-08
Pat Page 38% in 1926-27

So TA has the second best winning % since WWII.

Comments?

This is interesting, and thanks. I'm not sure, though, that much can be extrapolated from it.

 

[IUCX9]

Thought I would take a little time and look at where Tom Allen's first two years fits in with IU football history. Since in the past they didn't play as many games per season, I looked strictly at winning %. Right or wrong, I counted a tie the same as a loss. Obviously there is no way to account for the amount of talent that was left when the new coach took over.

James Sheldon is on top with a 75% in 1906-07
Madison G. Gonterman 71% in 1896-97
James H. Horne 51% in 1898-99
Jumbo Stiehm 50% in 1916-17
Phil Dickens 50% in 1958-59
William A. Ingram 47% in 1923-24
Bo McMillin 44% in 1934-35
Clarence C. Childs 43% in 1914-15
Tom Allen 42% in 2017-18
Bill Lynch 40% in 2007-08
Pat Page 38% in 1926-27

So TA has the second best winning % since WWII.

Comments?

Thanks!

Did you by chance check what the winning ‰ was for the two years preceeding each of their tenures?

 

[HermanB]

I feel that CTA has done a great job thus far. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Had Ellison not been suspended last year-I’m thinking we’d have won 6. But perhaps the silver lining is SS and perhaps Penix taking us to rarified Air this year!

 

[Al Bino]

Thanks!

Did you by chance check what the winning ‰ was for the two years preceeding each of their tenures?

Let's see.

James Horne was before Sheldon 56%
Two coaches preceded Gonterman 31%
Clarence Childs was before Stiehm 43%
Two coaches preceded Dickens 22%
Two coaches preceded Ingram 29%
Hayes was before McMillin 25%
Sheldon was before Childs 36%
Of course, Wilson was before Allen 46%
Hoeppner before Lynch 39%
Ingram was before Page 44%

Does this help to draw conclusions?

 

[IUCX9]

Let's see.

James Horne was before Sheldon 56%
Two coaches preceded Gonterman 31%
Clarence Childs was before Stiehm 43%
Two coaches preceded Dickens 22%
Two coaches preceded Ingram 29%
Hayes was before McMillin 25%
Sheldon was before Childs 36%
Of course, Wilson was before Allen 46%
Hoeppner before Lynch 39%
Ingram was before Page 44%

Does this help to draw conclusions?

Thanks. I wanted to try to see who improved the program fastest. Let's see... These are win% increases and decreases from the previous two years to the coach's first two years.

Dickens + 28% from two coaches.
Horne + 19% from Sheldon.
McMillin +19% from Hayes.
Ingram + 17% from two coaches.
Childs + 7% from Sheldon.
Lynch + 1% from Hep.
Allen - 4% from Wilson.
Page. - 6% from Ingram.
Wilson - 17% from Lynch
Mallory - 18% from Corso/Wyche
Horne - 20% from Gonterman.

It's interesting to see who continued whatever momentum the previous coach made, or if they decided to blow it up and start from scratch. Looks like Lynch is the only modern IU coach to actually improve upon his predecessor's record.

Allen, like Lynch, was a coordinator under his predecessor, prior to being elevated to HC. He, according to these numbers, seems to have lost some of Wilson's momentum gained at the end of his tenure. However, looking at recruiting numbers data plus program infrastructure investments, the program as a whole is better now than it has ever been.

In conclusion, nothing we don't already know.

 

[82hoosier]

How I remember a lot of the past was new coaches beating a few cupcakes and then getting blown out in Big 10 play. That is not the case now.

 

[hoosier roadtrips]

One thing that hurt IU after Bo McMillan left was the start of Florida State's program. The first permanent coach there was Don Veller, who had been a star quarterback for Indiana in the 1930s and was from Elkhart. He was an assistant under McMillan, and when he was hired at Tallahassee he started an exodus of numerous players from IU the next few years. Major contributors were guards Duke Maltby and Jerry Morrical, star running back Mike Sellers, outstanding kicker Ernie Huggett, and Wayne Benner. Maltby had an interesting comment that many of the players at FSU were veterans and had been in big school programs. They did not like the pressure of the big programs and moved to FSU, which at that time was playing lower level programs.

 

[Bowlmania]

Maybe.

The last two years we go 3-0 in noncon, followed up by 2-7 in conference. Sounds like beating up on cupcakes and getting beaten up in B1G play.

Cupcakes, Ord? Hardly. We beat Virginia and FIU last year. They were a combined 17-9, and won their bowl games.

 

[IUninethree]

I did some research around the end of the season to see how the last four years (Wilson's last two and Allen's first two) stack up historically. I'm not sure if we should be happy or appalled, but the last four years have been a pretty good run in the grand scheme of IU football history. Here's how other 4-year runs stack up...

• 27 wins: 42-45, 44-47, 86-89, 87-90, 91-94
• 26 wins: 43-46, 85-88, 88-91, 90-93
• 23 wins: 77-80, 89-92
• 22 wins: 1903-06, 45-48, 76-79, 79-82, 92-95, 2015-18

I think the big thing with Allen, or any coach, will be if he can escape the status quo. Right now five wins feels like the floor for the program. Who can get it closer to the ceiling?

 

[Indianaftw]

Maybe.

The last two years we go 3-0 in noncon, followed up by 2-7 in conference. Sounds like beating up on cupcakes and getting beaten up in B1G play.

I know everyone says cupcakes but Virginia was ranked at one point, went 8-5, and won a bowl game and FIU went 9-4 and won a bowl game.

 

[td75]

I know everyone says cupcakes but Virginia was ranked at one point, went 8-5, and won a bowl game and FIU went 9-4 and won a bowl game.

An 8-5 Virginia team coached by an excellent head coach is anything but a cupcake. Matter of fact, I'd like to play lesser teams than that simply because of the conference schedule we face.

People don't seem to understand how we must setup our nonconference schedule. Intelligent people need to understand that a difficult nonconference schedule would doom most D-1 programs, not just this one. Look at Bama, talk about playing cupcakes...

PS...I just read that Nick Saban's Alabama teams have only played a whopping two true road games during the nonconference portions of their seasons during his coaching tenure!!! Just Wow!!! IU plays true road games seemingly all of the damn time in their nonconference schedule!!

 

[IUCX9]

Brohm has played 4 P5 teams in concon his first two years. All 4 were bowl teams AND were ranked for at least some part of the season in either '17 or '18.

Playing a hard noncon and being successful is not mutually exclusive

That's because he plays in the cupcake West.

 

[jddpt06]

That's because he plays in the cupcake West.

Allen is 1-5 against the cupcake West. Thank goodness for ILL.

 

[76-1]

Past history is exactly that: History.

Every years team is a new team that literally has the opportunity to make their own history.

While we (as long time fans), may be tempted to wallow in the despair of the past..., these young guys on campus now shouldn't give a minutes thought or concern to it...; aside from appreciating their opportunity to be the group who can go down in history as the one who did something No Other Team has ever done: bag a Big Ten Championship Game & a Rose Bowl Game W...

 

[stripetology]

I know everyone says cupcakes but Virginia was ranked at one point, went 8-5, and won a bowl game and FIU went 9-4 and won a bowl game.

An 8-5 Virginia team coached by an excellent head coach is anything but a cupcake. Matter of fact, I'd like to play lesser teams than that simply because of the conference schedule we face.

People don't seem to understand how we must setup our nonconference schedule. Intelligent people need to understand that a difficult nonconference schedule would doom most D-1 programs, not just this one. Look at Bama, talk about playing cupcakes...

PS...I just read that Nick Saban's Alabama teams have only played a whopping two true road games during the nonconference portions of their seasons during his coaching tenure!!! Just Wow!!! IU plays true road games seemingly all of the damn time in their nonconference schedule!!

To your road game point, it once again baffles how we have only 6 home games this year yet again. And no, Indy doesn’t count even if they were to make it part of season ticket package which is another slap in the fans face.

 

[Bowlmania]

To your road game point, it once again baffles how we have only 6 home games this year yet again. And no, Indy doesn’t count even if they were to make it part of season ticket package which is another slap in the fans face.

If you live in Bloomington and you're annoyed because you've lost the convenience of a seventh home game, I get it. If you're pissed because you believe playing Ball State at LOS puts us at a competitive disadvantage, I don't.

We play 12 games this year. There's no discretion with respect to five of the 12 being on the road (this is our year for five away conference games). As for the other seven, six of them are at Memorial Stadium, and the seventh is in Indy. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see what the big deal is.

 

[stripetology]

To your road game point, it once again baffles how we have only 6 home games this year yet again. And no, Indy doesn’t count even if they were to make it part of season ticket package which is another slap in the fans face.

If you live in Bloomington and you're annoyed because you've lost the convenience of a seventh home game, I get it. If you're pissed because you believe playing Ball State at LOS puts us at a competitive disadvantage, I don't.

We play 12 games this year. There's no discretion with respect to five of the 12 being on the road (this is our year for five away conference games). As for the other seven, six of them are at Memorial Stadium, and the seventh is in Indy. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see what the big deal is.

Well, yes I am in Bloomington so very annoyed as love to take in a great weekend in btown....but aside from that, take a look at other good programs home schedules. Think you will see only 6 home games?

 

[vesuvius13]

2017 - Iowa 55 - Big Ten Champ Ohio State 24

2018 - Purdue 49 - Big Ten Champ Ohio State 20

Yes OSU falls on their butt once a season although last year they struggled to win games but prevailed most of the time; even IU and MN took them into the 4th qrt.

 

[Indianaftw]

But nobody in the east beat them.

It matters not...They always have a bad game every year. That may end now with the new coach. When Urban was suspended the first 3 games this year they were absolutely on fire offensively. Urbans return game was Tulane and then the next game Penn State they stalled. Then the IU game we stayed with them till late but it was not the same team at the beginning of the year. This new coach will be a difference maker IMO. They were so fragile at times and when they played you it unravelled. BUT if you were really that good you would not have been destroyed by Minny.

Anyways if you think having to play michy, msu, psu, and osu is easier than playing in the west you need to take a step back.

 

[76-1]

But nobody in the east beat them.

And nobody over here could care less...

 

[IndyIUFan66]

Cupcakes, Ord? Hardly. We beat Virginia and FIU last year. They were a combined 17-9, and won their bowl games.

FYI, I have notified the board moderator (via rivals), someone seemingly was able to pirate my handle with a new account. That account said just signed up (vs a Junior Statius for my account). I’m definitely not ORD and I didn’t write this. Believe that’s the only post and Hoping this gets resolved by the site. If anything else I should be doing Open to insights. No idea how site would allow two of same name or why someone would do that?

 

[IUninethree]

take a look at other good programs home schedules. Think you will see only 6 home games?

You got me curious, so I did. Maryland is the only other B10 team that plays six games away from home in 2019. Indiana has the only neutral site game in the B10 next year.

I dug further. The schedule makers seem perfectly content doing 7 regular season home games in even-numbered years when we'll have five home conference games and 6 home games in odd-numbered years. I can't figure out why they couldn't figure out to not schedule road games vs non-conf opponents in the odd-numbered years. 2019 features the LOS game vs BSU (technically a BSU home game), 2021 has us going to Western KY, 2022 is another LOS game vs Louisville.

They can fix the pattern in 2025 if they want. We have two non-conference games scheduled, so there's need for a third. Based on history, the schedule makers will probably have us playing on the road against a Sun Belt team or something.

 

[ufo33]

Thought I would take a little time and look at where Tom Allen's first two years fits in with IU football history. Since in the past they didn't play as many games per season, I looked strictly at winning %. Right or wrong, I counted a tie the same as a loss. Obviously there is no way to account for the amount of talent that was left when the new coach took over.

James Sheldon is on top with a 75% in 1906-07
Madison G. Gonterman 71% in 1896-97
James H. Horne 51% in 1898-99
Jumbo Stiehm 50% in 1916-17
Phil Dickens 50% in 1958-59
William A. Ingram 47% in 1923-24
Bo McMillin 44% in 1934-35
Clarence C. Childs 43% in 1914-15
Tom Allen 42% in 2017-18
Bill Lynch 40% in 2007-08
Pat Page 38% in 1926-27

So TA has the second best winning % since WWII.

Comments?

So we have sucked in football since Pearl Harbor was attacked?

 

[oldcougar77]

FYI, I have notified the board moderator (via rivals), someone seemingly was able to pirate my handle with a new account. That account said just signed up (vs a Junior Statius for my account). I’m definitely not ORD and I didn’t write this. Believe that’s the only post and Hoping this gets resolved by the site. If anything else I should be doing Open to insights. No idea how site would allow two of same name or why someone would do that?

I'm guessing that whoever hijacked your handle used a lower case "l" instead of the uppercase I in IU. Very similar tricks have been used here before by trolls to make people think it's a legitimate frequent poster.

 

[Walt542]

FYI, I have notified the board moderator (via rivals), someone seemingly was able to pirate my handle with a new account. That account said just signed up (vs a Junior Statius for my account). I’m definitely not ORD and I didn’t write this. Believe that’s the only post and Hoping this gets resolved by the site. If anything else I should be doing Open to insights. No idea how site would allow two of same name or why someone would do that?

The software should not allow that, unless they did something like use a lower case “L” instead of the upper case “I”. That the software would be OK with and it would be very difficult to see with the font they use. Sorry to see you’ve been hacked.

 

[Palmbeachhoosier]

FYI, I have notified the board moderator (via rivals), someone seemingly was able to pirate my handle with a new account. That account said just signed up (vs a Junior Statius for my account). I’m definitely not ORD and I didn’t write this. Believe that’s the only post and Hoping this gets resolved by the site. If anything else I should be doing Open to insights. No idea how site would allow two of same name or why someone would do that?

My account also hacked would never defend the $6 million man or that other school.

 

[stripetology]

take a look at other good programs home schedules. Think you will see only 6 home games?

You got me curious, so I did. Maryland is the only other B10 team that plays six games away from home in 2019. Indiana has the only neutral site game in the B10 next year.

I dug further. The schedule makers seem perfectly content doing 7 regular season home games in even-numbered years when we'll have five home conference games and 6 home games in odd-numbered years. I can't figure out why they couldn't figure out to not schedule road games vs non-conf opponents in the odd-numbered years. 2019 features the LOS game vs BSU (technically a BSU home game), 2021 has us going to Western KY, 2022 is another LOS game vs Louisville.

They can fix the pattern in 2025 if they want. We have two non-conference games scheduled, so there's need for a third. Based on history, the schedule makers will probably have us playing on the road against a Sun Belt team or something.

Good info. Yes baffling and really inexcusable fora program with razor thin margin trying to get over hump. It’s not even the 1st or 2nd time it’s happened.

 

[td75]

The nonconference scheduling has been suspect for quite some time now. If you're going to play UMASS or North Texas, you pay them to come here, not the other way around.

Hell, any Big Ten team traveling to a MAC venue has nothing to gain. We've done that through the years, it's a goofy approach. I remember we traveled to play Oregon and Washington but they never returned the favor.

 

[ElMeson]

The nonconference scheduling has been suspect for quite some time now. If you're going to play UMASS or North Texas, you pay them to come here, not the other way around.

Hell, any Big Ten team traveling to a MAC venue has nothing to gain. We've done that through the years, it's a goofy approach. I remember we traveled to play Oregon and Washington but they never returned the favor.

I agree with this 1000%. Playing a MAC school at LOS is fine but why play at BGSU or FIU? Our main problem is getting a P5 power to do a home & home. They seem to take the same stance as we do playing a MAC school on the road. That will continue until we become a consistent winner.

 

[IUCX9]

The nonconference scheduling has been suspect for quite some time now. If you're going to play UMASS or North Texas, you pay them to come here, not the other way around.

Hell, any Big Ten team traveling to a MAC venue has nothing to gain. We've done that through the years, it's a goofy approach. I remember we traveled to play Oregon and Washington but they never returned the favor.

I agree with this 1000%. Playing a MAC school at LOS is fine but why play at BGSU or FIU? Our main problem is getting a P5 power to do a home & home. They seem to take the same stance as we do playing a MAC school on the road. That will continue until we become a consistent winner.

Agreed.

Unfortunately I think this will be the case until we fill our stadium more consistently and splitting proceeds at the gate will be more enticing for P5 teams.

Payouts for G5 to play @IU are also getting bigger especially since the B1G has gone to a 9 game conference schedule. Fewer noncon games to go around, drives up prices. Also, probably a little bit of price collusion among G5 teams knowing how much BTN money is flowing. Either they get paid, or IU travels.

The Homer in me feels, however, that P5 teams are afraid of losses to IU and therefore avoid scheduling us. But I may be biased.

 

[IUninethree]

I get the home-and-home arrangements with the P5 schools. We have home/home series with UConn & Cincy (both AAC, but have P5 status as former Big East schools) along with a home/home/neutral series with Louisville. I appreciate the efforts to keep these games a bit closer to home in coming years. Maybe looking at opponents like Vandy and Pitt or reviving the UK rivalry could keep the trend going.

Like others, I think they need to get away from scheduling non-P5 teams on the road. I know the justifications they've used in the past - opportunity to play in NFL stadiums (UMass, BSU), opportunity to play in big recruiting territories (FIU). I'm not sure the advantages gained by either are worth giving up a home game and becoming another team's 'big game' for the year. The B10 eased up their rules on scheduling FCS teams on the years when you only have 4 home conference games. That move might help with this issue.

In short - there's no reason why IU shouldn't consistently have 7 home games every season.

 

[Walt542]

I get the home-and-home arrangements with the P5 schools. We have home/home series with UConn & Cincy (both AAC, but have P5 status as former Big East schools) along with a home/home/neutral series with Louisville. I appreciate the efforts to keep these games a bit closer to home in coming years. Maybe looking at opponents like Vandy and Pitt or reviving the UK rivalry could keep the trend going.

Like others, I think they need to get away from scheduling non-P5 teams on the road. I know the justifications they've used in the past - opportunity to play in NFL stadiums (UMass, BSU), opportunity to play in big recruiting territories (FIU). I'm not sure the advantages gained by either are worth giving up a home game and becoming another team's 'big game' for the year. The B10 eased up their rules on scheduling FCS teams on the years when you only have 4 home conference games. That move might help with this issue.

In short - there's no reason why IU shouldn't consistently have 7 home games every season.

I don’t know how many of our Florida kids were influenced by our game at FIU but we have certainly done well down there.

 

[Euro]

Bo McMillan's teams did not suck post Pearl Harbor

So we have sucked in football since Pearl Harbor was attacked?

 

[oldcougar77]

I get the home-and-home arrangements with the P5 schools. We have home/home series with UConn & Cincy (both AAC, but have P5 status as former Big East schools) along with a home/home/neutral series with Louisville. I appreciate the efforts to keep these games a bit closer to home in coming years. Maybe looking at opponents like Vandy and Pitt or reviving the UK rivalry could keep the trend going.

Like others, I think they need to get away from scheduling non-P5 teams on the road. I know the justifications they've used in the past - opportunity to play in NFL stadiums (UMass, BSU), opportunity to play in big recruiting territories (FIU). I'm not sure the advantages gained by either are worth giving up a home game and becoming another team's 'big game' for the year. The B10 eased up their rules on scheduling FCS teams on the years when you only have 4 home conference games. That move might help with this issue.

In short - there's no reason why IU shouldn't consistently have 7 home games every season.

There was an article about this in the Bloomington paper a few years ago - IIRC an interview with Fred Glass about both football and basketball scheduling. The article had a central theme questioning the scheduling of so many non-con basketball home games against terrible competition.

At any rate the football discussion centered on IU's decision to schedule non-P5 programs as true road games. The basic rationale was that playing AT the other school's home stadium was a much more profitable arrangement for IU than paying the contract cost for a MAC or similar school to come to IU. Especially since most of those arrangements were two-for-one deals.

Basically the central point was that paying the opposing school to come here with a paying crowd of 25 - 30k was not financially feasable. I don't disagree with that thinking. For schools that can fill the stadium regardless of who they are playing, giving a lower-tier program a bundle of cash to come take an ass-beating is fiscally sound. Bottom line, IU would likely lose money in the deal.

What we should all hope for is that we can soon put 45-50k inside Memorial Stadium on any given Saturday, regardless of whether we're playing OSU or Akron. Then those seven home games each year are feasable. I get the grumbling about having only 6 at home, but I think this year it works out. I get some savings on season tickets and can make a short trip to Indy to see an early-season game in a comfortable indoor environment. Last season's home game with BSU was nothing short of brutal. I got a nasty sunburn and the wife had to spend most of the second half in the concourse to keep from getting sick. I'll take LOS over that any day.

 

[stripetology]

I get the home-and-home arrangements with the P5 schools. We have home/home series with UConn & Cincy (both AAC, but have P5 status as former Big East schools) along with a home/home/neutral series with Louisville. I appreciate the efforts to keep these games a bit closer to home in coming years. Maybe looking at opponents like Vandy and Pitt or reviving the UK rivalry could keep the trend going.

Like others, I think they need to get away from scheduling non-P5 teams on the road. I know the justifications they've used in the past - opportunity to play in NFL stadiums (UMass, BSU), opportunity to play in big recruiting territories (FIU). I'm not sure the advantages gained by either are worth giving up a home game and becoming another team's 'big game' for the year. The B10 eased up their rules on scheduling FCS teams on the years when you only have 4 home conference games. That move might help with this issue.

In short - there's no reason why IU shouldn't consistently have 7 home games every season.

There was an article about this in the Bloomington paper a few years ago - IIRC an interview with Fred Glass about both football and basketball scheduling. The article had a central theme questioning the scheduling of so many non-con basketball home games against terrible competition.

At any rate the football discussion centered on IU's decision to schedule non-P5 programs as true road games. The basic rationale was that playing AT the other school's home stadium was a much more profitable arrangement for IU than paying the contract cost for a MAC or similar school to come to IU. Especially since most of those arrangements were two-for-one deals.

Basically the central point was that paying the opposing school to come here with a paying crowd of 25 - 30k was not financially feasable. I don't disagree with that thinking. For schools that can fill the stadium regardless of who they are playing, giving a lower-tier program a bundle of cash to come take an ass-beating is fiscally sound. Bottom line, IU would likely lose money in the deal.

What we should all hope for is that we can soon put 45-50k inside Memorial Stadium on any given Saturday, regardless of whether we're playing OSU or Akron. Then those seven home games each year are feasable. I get the grumbling about having only 6 at home, but I think this year it works out. I get some savings on season tickets and can make a short trip to Indy to see an early-season game in a comfortable indoor environment. Last season's home game with BSU was nothing short of brutal. I got a nasty sunburn and the wife had to spend most of the second half in the concourse to keep from getting sick. I'll take LOS over that any day.

All fair points. The obvious solution is do whatever it takes to get butts in the seats at home to begin with.

 

[Flooded Timber]

I'm not a fan of neutral site games. I'm not sure why we would ever agree to an away or neutral game with a Mac or equivalent team in the midwest. Maybe that is simply the way of the world, but I don't understand it. I can give a little on away games with Non-P5 in recruiting hotbeds e.g. FLA and TX. My big problem (and I apologize if this is hijacking the thread) is the Spring game failures, from cancelling a game to having it scheduled on a Friday at 7:00 p.m. I can make the trip of 2+ hours on a Saturday and spend the day. A Friday with the road construction issues to the north makes it less than worth the effort. Are we really going to get more students there? I suspect we won't get many of the folks who drive three or four hours to get there. Want a 7:00 start time, do it on Saturday. To me, it is simply another example of IU not being able to get out of its own way. It is a failure to give focus to the major football event between signing day and opening game. Just my opinion. By the way, Purdues is at noon on a Saturday. Time for fans to get there and enjoy themselves after.

 

[82hoosier]

Nothing like spending tens of millions of dollars on stadium upgrades and then moving games out of Bloomington. Not to mention the impact on the Bloomington economy.... again.

 

[76-1]

Nothing like spending tens of millions of dollars on stadium upgrades and then moving games out of Bloomington. Not to mention the impact on the Bloomington economy.... again.

That's Ball States home game you're complaining about.

Our getting to play them in their home game at a neutral NFL site that's centrally located to the entire state is a great deal for us...

Ball State is the team that moved the game off campus not INDIANA.