If Indiana Football Goes Bowling Where Could It Go?

Too soon? With two wins needed out of eight games remaining, Hoosiers On SI would rather plan for success than worry about failure. Here are some Indiana bowl game possibilities.

Todd Golden | Sep 22, 2024

Indiana's Tyrique Tucker (95) tackles Charlotte's Cartevious Norton (5) in the backfield during the Indiana versus Charlotte football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana football is 4-0 after its 52-14 win over Charlotte Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers have eight opportunities to get the two wins necessary to earn bowl eligibility for the first time since 2020.

Some Indiana fans might say it could jinx the Hoosiers to start talking about bowl possibilities, but here at Hoosiers On SI, we believe its much better to plan for success than worry about failure.

The experts are already taking note of the Hoosiers’ good start. Respected college football writer Brett McMurphy of Action Network projected Indiana to play in the Music City Bowl before the Hoosiers’ win over Charlotte.

It’s never too early to consider the possibilities for the Hoosiers if they continue to win and make the postseason a reality with bowl eligibility.

As most fans are aware by now, almost every bowl has a conference tie-in. The Big Ten bowls shift a bit year-to-year, most notably via a rotation with the SEC between the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and the Las Vegas Bowl.

Complicating matters just a tad are the four former Pac-12 schools that joined the Big Ten.

Bowls that had Pac-12 affiliations before the conference imploded – the Alamo Bowl, the Independence Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, the LA Bowl, the Las Vegas Bowl and the Sun Bowl – can still take teams from what constituted the Pac-12 prior to the departure of most of the conference. Those “legacy teams” are contractually obligated through the 2025 season.

At least one Big Ten team will qualify for the 12-team football playoff, likely more, so whomever makes the playoff takes more teams out of the Big Ten bowl pool.

If the Big Ten exceeded the bowls it has tie-ins for – a distinct possibility given the super-sized version of the league that currently exists – other bowls can choose Big Ten teams if their conference tie-ins aren’t fulfilled.

Here are the bowls that have Big Ten tie-ins.

• Detroit Bowl, Dec. 26 – Formerly known as the Quick Lane Bowl, this game is played at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.

The Big Ten representative plays a team from the Mid-American Conference, making it a matchup of Midwest David vs. Midwest Goliath.

The Detroit Bowl typically gets one of the Big Ten bowl eligible teams lowest in the league pecking order. Minnesota played in the game in 2023 and the Golden Gophers defeated Bowling Green 30-24.

Indiana has never played in this bowl game.

• Guaranteed Rate Bowl, Dec. 26 – Played at Chase Field in Phoenix, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The bowl has existed in some form since 1990. It was originally known as the Copper Bowl. The opponent would come from the Big 12 Conference.

The Big Ten had a tie-in from 2006-13. That tie-in resumed in 2020, though the Big Ten didn’t use its slot for this bowl in 2023.

Indiana Hoosiers running back Bryan Payton (27) runs the ball against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Insight Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Indiana has played in this bowl twice. Under its original Copper Bowl moniker, the Hoosiers defeated Baylor 24-0 in 1991 when the game was played in Tucson, Ariz. In 2007, Indiana took part again, losing 49-33 to Oklahoma State. By then, the game had been moved to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. and was called the Insight Bowl.

• Pinstripe Bowl, Dec. 28 – Begun in 2010, the Pinstripe Bowl is played at Yankee Stadium in New York. The ACC takes the other slot in the contest.

The Big Ten has sent a team to New York every season since 2014. (Rutgers was in the game in 2013, but wasn’t playing Big Ten football yet.) The Big Ten has won seven straight Pinstripe Bowls.

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Nick Westbrook (15) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Duke Blue Devils during the third quarter in the 2015 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The Blue Devils won 44-41 in overtime. / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Indiana was the last Big Ten team to lose in the Pinstripe Bowl. Duke defeated Indiana 44-41 in overtime in the 2015 season.

• Music City Bowl, Dec. 30 – The closest game geographically to Bloomington, the Music City Bowl dates to 1998 and is played at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

The Big Ten has sent a team to the game all but one time since 2016. The Southeastern Conference provides the opposition.

Indiana has never played in the Music City Bowl.

• Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Dec. 31 – Played in some form since 1947 and originally known as the Tangerine Bowl, the Citrus Bowl gets the first choice of the Big Ten and SEC teams that don’t make the College Football Playoff. The game is played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

The Big Ten-SEC tie-in is one of the longest tie-ins since the system came to be. With few exceptions, the Big Ten and SEC have locked horns consistently since 1993.

Indiana has never played in the Citrus Bowl.

• ReliaQuest Bowl, Dec. 31 – Originally known as the Hall of Fame Bowl, this bowl was first played in 1986. It is played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The Big Ten representative plays the SEC in this bowl too. The ReliaQuest Bowl generally gets a higher-placed Big Ten team.

Mississippi Rebels place kicker Luke Logan (92) kicks a field goal during the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers during the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. / Douglas DeFelice-Imagn Images

Indiana’s most recent bowl appearance came in this game. After the 2020 season, the Hoosiers lost 26-20 to Ole Miss when the game was known as the Outback Bowl.

• Duke's Mayo Bowl vs ACC, Charlotte, Jan. 3 – Originally played in 2002, this bowl game takes place at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

It has been played under a variety of corporate sponsor names. It became the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in 2020. The game has reached a level of notoriety in recent years as the winning coach gets 4.5 gallons of mayonnaise dumped on him as part of the postgame festivities.

West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown gets covered in mayonnaise after winning the Duke s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Big Ten has taken part in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on a rotating basis since 2020. In even seasons, the Big Ten is the representative. In odd years, the SEC gets the slot. Opposition comes from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Indiana has never played in this bowl.

Those are the non-College Football Playoff tie-ins, but what about the College Football Playoff itself? If you want to dream big for Indiana, here’s what to dream about for the expanded 12-team field.

• Format – There are guaranteed bids for the top five conference champions with the four highest-ranked champions receiving a bye to the second round. The remaining seven teams will be filled with at-large schools.

• First round, Dec. 20-21 – Played at campus sites, these games will pit the 7-12, 8-11 and 9-10 seeded teams playing at the home stadiums of the teams with the better seed.

• Quarterfinals, Dec. 31-Jan. 1 – The quarterfinals for the playoffs will be played at the Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 31), Peach Bowl (Jan. 1), Rose Bowl (Jan. 1) and the Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1). The four highest-ranked conference champions enter the playoff in this round.

• Semifinals, Jan. 9-10 – The Orange Bowl (Jan. 9) and Cotton Bowl (Jan. 10) get the semifinal rotation among the so-called New Year’s Day Six bowl games that take part in the College Football Playoff.

• Championship game, Jan. 20 – The College Football Playoff championship game takes place at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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