The Indiana football team will not get to play in 2020 along with the rest of the Big Ten and all we can do is sit back and think about what could have been.
We knew this was a very real possibility. Even with the release of the updated Big Ten schedule last week, it was still just a glimmer of hope. Unfortunately, that glimmer turned into darkness yesterday as the Big Ten formally announced its intentions to postpone fall sports.
There is talk that they will try and play during the spring, but how viable is that option. Will the pandemic be any different in the spring or what conferences will also be playing.
The PAC-12 followed suit and canceled all athletics until January, which will affect basketball also, but that is a story for another day. The ACC, Big 12, and SEC still seem set on playing in the fall, so if the Big Ten does play in the spring it will be just a conference schedule. At least it would be football, but how good will it be.
Will players from the Big Ten try and transfer because of what just happened? But more importantly how many will opt-out of playing in the spring because of the closeness to their NFL dreams?
The Hoosiers have two big names that are seniors in Whop Philyor and Stevie Scott. Will they decide it isn’t worth the risk? Philyor could be a high round pick while Scott could definitely be a late-round steal for a team looking for running back depth.
Indiana Football: What could have been in 2020
This was supposed to be a year that Indiana broke through. They had their best team in years and originally had a schedule set up for them to get off to a great start which allows them to have a lot of momentum into their tough Big Ten East games.
Instead, that schedule was scrapped and a tougher one was given to them, but one the Hoosiers were ready to hit head-on. They were going to have to be on their A-game but it wasn’t impossible for them.
Then Tuesday happened and we lost it all. We lost the chance to see what could have been a breakthrough season in Bloomington.
We don’t get to see Michael Penix Jr. throw his left-handed bomb to Philyor streaking down the sideline. Or Philyor pulling in double-digit catches in a win against Rutgers.
We will miss Scott rushing the ball 20+ times for over 100 yards as he wears down the opposing defenses. We will not get to see Ty Fryfogle or Peyton Hendershot catching balls across the middle when Philyor is double-teamed.
We will miss super sophomore Tiawan Mullen locking down the opposing team’s best receiver. He was set to lead an improving defense with a chip on its shoulder to prove pundits wrong.
The Hoosiers won’t have the chance to break their 24 game losing streaks to Michigan and Ohio State. The opening game against Wisconsin, that we thought would be an upset, is gone. And finally, we don’t get to see the Hoosiers play to keep the Old Oaken Bucket in Bloomington on the last Saturday in November.
It was supposed to be an unforgettable fall for Indiana and its fans. Unfortunately, it is still going to be unforgettable, but not for the right reasons. Maybe we get to see them play in the spring, but if they do it isn’t going to be the same.
This was a team we have looked forward to seeing for a long time, and now we will never get the chance to see them even step on the field.