Indiana is coming off of its best season in nearly three decades, finding themselves in the AP Top-25 for the first time since 1994. The Hoosiers even won eight games for the first time since 1993. What they didn't do, however, was get that 'signature' win that everyone has been talking about.
While Indiana is no laughing stock in the Big Ten like it used to be, in order to gain the national respect that it is seeking, a win against the top tier of the conference is necessary, and something even IU is talking about.
But, in 2020, the chance of getting that win could be at an all-time high. Not only is Indiana bringing back the majority of its eight-win team from last year but it also has the help of empty stadiums. And Tom Allen knows it.
"Per the schedule, we do have to go to Ohio State this year, to Michigan, those kinds of things are unique and different," Allen said. "I know just in talking to other teams who have played in those situations, it's kind of taken away that strong homefield advantage you usually get for those teams that have such large stadiums and they usually are full when you play against them."
Indiana is just 1-16 against programs like Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan State since 2016. Since Tom Allen has taken over as the head coach, however, that record is 0-13.
"I think there's no question that's going to be a variable because that's a huge advantage those teams have when they 100-plus thousand fans in attendance," Allen said of teams having packed stadiums. "Just the energy you get from that as a home team, there's no question it makes it really hard to play there."
Indiana saw a slight uptick in attendance in 2019, averaging 41,244 fans for its six home games. While that is no 100,000+ like an Ohio State or Michigan, Allen knows having any fans gives the home team an advantage.
"To be able to execute – the call, the communication and all those kinds of things you run into. It makes it harder; it makes everything more difficult," Allen said. "I think it will be a variable that will help the teams that are playing in those environments."
Though no fans will be in the stands, home teams will still have an advantage and at the end of the day, teams still have to go out and execute.
"They are going to pump in crowd noise, but I do not know how loud that will really be," Allen added. "I have heard some people say that it is not that loud, but they will try to make it, but it will not be the same. That is just part of it.
"We do not really care. There is no question that we would rather have a stadium full of people, that is ideal, but we knew that was not going to happen."
While the official schedule has yet to be released, there has been talk about using a similar format to the schedule that was released before the cancellation. That would see Indiana travel to Wisconsin, Ohio State, Michigan State and Minnesota. Regardless of what the schedule looks like, Allen knows his team will be ready - fans or no fans.
"We have a maturity about our team, we've got a lot of guys who have played a lot of football that are playing for us this season, to me, that gives us an advantage," Allen said. "I really love our football team."
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