Indiana Football: How no fans at football games would affect Hoosiers
By Adam Childs
Indiana football: no fans at games make a huge difference
The Hoosiers have a lot to be excited about this year with the team they have returning. Even with that excitement and the talent they have coming into 2020, they still must play in the Big Ten East which is arguably one of the toughest divisions in all of college football, trailing maybe on the SEC West.
Included in the East are two teams the Hoosiers haven’t beat in 24 games in Ohio State and Michigan. And unfortunately, they must travel to both of those schools this year. They have two of the biggest stadiums in the country with the Wolverines taking the top spot.
But what happens when you take the fans out of those stadiums? They still have very good teams, but the deafening sound, especially in the Horsehoe is suddenly gone. The home-field advantage is basically zero and could that mean the Hoosiers now have a better chance in the game. It definitely won’t hurt their ability to win.
This is where having no fans in the stands is actually a huge help to the Hoosiers, one they will probably never have again. Could they take advantage of it and finally break the streak against either one of these teams? They have come close in the past but could this be the perfect storm for them to finally do it.
On the other side, the one home game where having no fans will make a difference is when the Hoosiers host their in-state rival, Purdue. The battle for the Old Oaken Bucket will be very different with no fans in the stands. This is the game that means the most to both teams and fans always show up for the game and it will be weird to not have that atmosphere for the rivalry game.
The biggest game that no fans could possibly effect for the Hoosiers is their opening game at Wisconsin The Badgers don’t have one of the biggest stadiums in the Big Ten, but they have one of the loudest and most rabid fan bases. Playing at Camp Randall Stadium is tough for even the best teams and they create one of the top home-field advantages of any team in the conference and possibly country.
If the Hoosiers could pick up the upset win they could very easily be 6-0 heading into a very winnable game against Michigan State. That is when the schedule gets really tough, but getting off to that kind of start would be huge and they could ride that momentum to some upset wins to end the season.
Not having fans for their game at Wisconsin would be a huge advantage for the Hoosiers. Indiana is returning enough talent to play and beat the Badgers, but with fans it would be extremely tough. Take that out of the equation and suddenly this could be a very even game.
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Yes we want fans at the games, but not having fans might actually benefit the Hoosiers more than maybe any other team in the Big Ten. You still have to win the games on the field but with Indiana playing at some of the tougher stadiums in the country no fans might not be a bad thing for them.