With IU’s victory against Purdue, the Hoosiers became bowl-eligible for the second consecutive season for the first time in 25 years. Now IU fans are waiting to hear where their team will head late in December.
Four cities have emerged as the most likely destinations for the Hoosiers. Here’s a ranking of the attractiveness of those four locations:
1. The Music City Bowl
Nashville, Tennessee, is the preferred bowl destination for the Hoosiers this postseason. Nashville, a great, underappreciated city that has plenty for fans to do before the game, is relatively close to IU. The Hoosiers would match up against an SEC foe and find itself with another opportunity to break through against strong competition. The last time IU played an SEC team, the Hoosiers stunned Missouri, the eventual SEC East champion.
This is the best possible bowl for IU to play in. While Nissan Stadium isn’t a historic venue, the bowl will take place in a fun city that is close enough for a lot of fans to make the trip.
2. Heart of Dallas Bowl
While this doesn’t seem to be a likely destination for IU based on recent projections, it would be a fun bowl to be a part of. Zaxby’s sponsors it, and its chicken fingers are enough for me to get behind IU going to it. The game is also played in the historic Cotton Bowl, home to many of college football’s best games. IU would face off against a Conference USA opponent, possibly giving IU an easy opportunity to get to seven wins for the first time since 2007.
The distance is a problem, but the great barbecue in Dallas certainly makes up for that.
3. Foster Farms Bowl
Bowl games exist in part to reward players for playing well during the season, and without a doubt a trip to California would be a nice one. The bowl is technically in Santa Clara, California, the home of the 49ers, but San Francisco is not too far away and offers a bevy of sightseeing opportunities for the team and fans. The game would be against a Pac-12 squad and would virtually be a road game for the Hoosiers.
The downside with the bowl, as was with the previous one, is its location. This bowl has also only existed since 2002, which doesn’t give it much historic value.
4. Quick Lane Bowl
Is there anything fun to do in Detroit the day after Christmas? Probably not. This is the least appealing option because as a reward, Detroit is by far the worst of the four cities on the list. It’s going to be cold, and there is not much to do.
On the other hand, the game is just as close as the Music City Bowl and gives IU fans another easy trip to watch their team play. It would also be against an ACC team, which would give IU an opportunity to beat a quality team to finish out the 2016 season.
aphussey@indiana.edu
@thehussnetwork
