Column: 7 reasons why a win would be significant

Since the IU football coaches and players won’t talk about how big a win against Michigan would be for the team, I will provide my thoughts. Here are seven reasons why a victory against the Wolverines would be significant for IU:

1. It would help IU Athletics Director Fred Glass fill Memorial Stadium. Let’s face it: If the Hoosiers lose this game, interest in the program, which is currently at a high point, will vanish. With a loss, fans will forget about home games against Arkansas State, Northwestern and Iowa and instead turn their attention to Tom Crean and the basketball team.

It happens every year about this time.

If IU can pull off the upset, however, Glass won’t have to go door-to-door selling tickets — fans will start snatching them up for every game at Memorial Stadium.

“It would drive interest, and it would drive ticket sales,” Glass said. “It would be great to beat these guys, especially when they’re flying high.”

2. A 6-1, or maybe even 7-1, start would be possible. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But if the Hoosiers knock off the No. 19 Wolverines on Saturday, that kind of a start is a legitimate possibility.

IU will more than likely lose at Ohio State next week and then play games against Arkansas State, Illinois and Northwestern.

“I’m not going to underplay what a huge opportunity this is for the IU football program,” Glass said. “I’m sure I should say ‘Hey, there’s no must-win games in October,’ and ‘The most important game on your schedule is the next one,’ and ‘There will be a lot of football left after this game.’

“All those things are true, and if we were to lose, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

But I’m thrilled that Michigan is coming in undefeated. I’m thrilled that they’re coming in ranked. I’m thrilled that they’re coming in with a Heisman Trophy candidate. This would be a huge, huge signature win.”

3. National exposure. Yes, I saw Ben Chappell’s picture in Pat Forde’s column on ESPN.com, but a victory this week would get everybody writing and talking about the Hoosiers.

IU won’t be ranked if it beats Michigan, but the faces of Chappell, Tandon Doss and Bill Lynch would be plastered all over ESPN for the weekend if the Hoosiers find a way to pull it out. How often does that happen?

4. Two games away from bowl eligibility. Whether or not you want to see your 6-6 football team play in the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl doesn’t really matter — playing 13 is the Hoosiers’ ultimate goal.

And while I know it’s still early and IU could lose its final eight games of the season (the football program has been known to do things like that), a win here would make a bowl appearance all but a guarantee.

Arkansas State and Purdue are looking incredibly beatable right about now.

5. Positive impact on basketball recruiting. That’s not to say that a recruit is going to commit to IU based on a football win against Michigan, but it couldn’t hurt.

Several recruiting targets are expected to be in town for the game, including Hanner Perea, Gary Harris and Jeremy Hollowell.

6. Revenge. Bill Lynch and his players refuse to acknowledge that this is a “revenge” game after the heartbreaking 36-33 loss in Ann Arbor, Mich. in 2009. That was the defeat that effectively started a downhill slide, which didn’t stop until the offseason.

A win Saturday would show that the Hoosiers are not the pushover football program they have generally been known as. They trail 51-9 in this series against Michigan, and they haven’t beaten the Wolverines since 1987.

7. It would show the program is improving. And that’s the most important thing, something fans need to see in order to buy into this program long term.

A win against a ranked Michigan team Saturday would prove to everyone that Lynch has taken this program to the next level. To this point, Lynch has a 17-23 record with the Hoosiers and one bowl appearance.

One of the main things missing from his resume is a signature win — something a victory against Michigan would change. (Winning 21-19 against Northwestern in 2008 came close.)

A victory against the Wolverines would be as significant for the IU football program as anything that has happened in quite awhile.

The Hoosiers have a golden opportunity. They best not waste it.