Indiana Hoosiers dealt favorable hand by Big Ten with 2024, 2025 football schedule | IU podcast

the Big Ten released the football schedules for the 2024 and 25 seasons and in doing so did a huge favor to the Indiana Hoosiers you are locked on Hoosiers your daily podcast on the Indiana Hoosiers part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day [Music] happy Monday everybody you are locked on Hoosiers the one and only daily IU podcast we are part of the locked on network your team every day of free and available wherever you guys listen or watch podcasts at uh over on YouTube as well I'm your host as always Jacob rude thank you guys for joining us today uh episodes out a little bit late today but we should be past all the delays and everything for the summer and we're good to go the big news of the weekend uh actually predating the weekend a little bit was the release of the Big Ten schedules and I the Hoosiers I come away from this thinking that they got a really good deal it's kind of a really good deal and a really bad deal uh for one if you look at their 2024 schedule they don't have to play Ohio State and Michigan and boy what a uh just a glorious thing that is I can't tell you how exhausting it was and I know I'm preaching to the choir you guys have been there how exhausting it was to continually have to play Ohio State and Michigan often and like either back-to-back weeks or the two of them in a three-game span it stinks it's awful it's it's obviously what we hate most about the Big Ten East and now for the first time since 2008 the Hoosiers are not going to have to play Ohio State and Michigan in the same year that being both of them are going to be off the schedule the first time in 15 years when they play uh or when the Hoosiers have the 2024 season the biggest takeaway uh obviously is that the Hoosiers and Purdue are one of the protected rivalries I believe there were 11 of them that were protected that being amongst them the Hoosiers or excuse me the Big Ten essentially did a kind of three protected games or opponents type of look uh but it's Gonna Change year over year those 11 opponents are going to be protected just annually those games are always going to be played they'll kind of refresh the schedule every two years and you'll have two play opponents that you play both years for the Hoosiers that's going to be Michigan Michigan State and Maryland for this cycle and we kind of talked about this Michigan state was a pretty obvious one with the the old brass platoon trophy being available in that one and so it was going to be who the third opponent was and it was just kind of up in the air and we hypothesized IU kind of might get the short stick and have to play one of Marilyn or Rutgers teams that don't really have a natural rival as well and that's the case so both in 24 and 25 the Hoosiers are going to play Maryland and Purdue uh Maryland and Michigan State along with Purdue uh in 2024 Maryland and Purdue games will be at home 2025 the Michigan State game will be at home uh the schedule is going to last as I said for the 2024 and 2025 season then they'll switch it up again there might be more expansion by then there might be a more natural rival third rival for the Hoosiers in that span I don't know but it offers them the flexibility to continue switching things up if this doesn't work which is nice because the Big 10 East hasn't worked for a really long time and want to switch that up ever so at least having the ability to change these things is is a nice and something that I'm looking forward to so that we won't be stuck in the same kind of rut and cycle year over year over year but with the way the schedule falls out the Hoosiers while 2024 I think is going to be a really good year and we're going to talk about that 2025 is going to be brutal because you're going to have to play Ohio State Michigan and USC in the same year it leads to an interesting debate would you rather have the way it is going to be set up for these two years we're 2024. you have a pretty easy schedule especially relative to what you've been playing but it means in 2025 you're going to play all the big dogs is that better personally I think I would rather do that load up the schedule every other year and give yourself a shot at making a bowl game and having a a successful season in the in the kind of off year of that we're gonna see how it plays out for the Hoosiers it could set up for a really really disappointing 2024 and then you roll into 2025 where the expectations are going to be uh really low with just how tough the schedule is going to be but ultimately I the biggest takeaway I have from this just kind of looking at the schedule and having sat with it for a number of days IU has done one heck of a service for the 2024 season there's a pretty clear path to six wins we're gonna dive into each year and what the schedule looks like here in a few moments but the path to six wins is pretty clear or clearer I should say than it typically is was which also means it could be a make or break year for Tom Allen he's probably not going to be fired this year because even though or his buyout drops only to quote unquote only to 20.8 million on December 1st it is December 1st of next year where it drops all the way down to 7.9 million so 2024 in a number of ways is going to be a very very important season for IU football you if you're Tom Allen and you know the pressures that are kind of associated with that you have to be doing all sorts of happy dances looking at the schedule for 2024. it's not going to be easy by any means there really isn't kind of an easy schedule for Big Ten football but there is an easier schedule especially when comparing it to 2025 and 2024 is going to be one of the easier schedules of the Hoosiers have had and could have both uh relative to the Big Ten no Ohio State no Michigan no USC it it sets it sets up nicely now are the Hoosiers going to be able to take advantage of it there's a a long uh resume of them fumbling opportunities but it's set up nicely let's dive in a little bit deeper into this 2024 schedule who the Hoosiers are going to be playing and why it is set up so nicely for them before we do that I want to thank the sponsor of today's episode we forgot to mention it at the top FanDuel make a fast break to FanDuel during the NBA Finals you don't have much time left because right now new customers get a no sweat first bet up to 2 500 that's 2 500 back in bonus bets if your first bet does not win the finals are almost over it's looking like Thomas Bryant is going to end up with a NBA championship ring at Seasons and the Heat have fought valiantly but it seems like they don't really have enough left now don't count out the heat they they've kind of been in similar situations since the playing game and if you think that they have another comeback left in them head over to FanDuel tonight throw some money down on the uh heat money line because even if you are wrong you get those bonus bets back there's no better place to bet on all the finals action than America's number one sports book visit fanduel.com locked on and get the no sweat first bet up to two thousand five hundred dollars that's fanduel.com locked on FanDuel official sports betting partner of the NBA big thanks to you guys for making us your first listen every single day every day is Wednesday on the show probably gonna dive a little bit more into season Recaps uh I got a question about Sydney parish and kind of her role in this upcoming uh season I we spent Friday's episode talking about Chloe Moore McNeil and Sarah Scalia so if you guys missed that go listen to that but I talked a lot about kind of leadership and stepping up with them I didn't mention Sydney Parish only because it was a show dedicated to Chloe and Sarah scally a lot of those things are going to apply to her so Sydney parish and uh maybe someone else will talk about with the Women's Basketball team on Wednesday so be sure you guys tune into that let's take a look at this 2024 schedule for IU football we'll start with if we're trying to lay out a path uh for bull eligibility couple things have to be there for one I mean to be frank you need a lot of Big Ten West opponents that's something the Hoosiers just naturally haven't had because of playing in the Big Ten East you have five of them in this schedule for 2024. Purdue obviously is the protected rival then you have Minnesota Nebraska Northwestern and Wisconsin it's pretty far out to project on a number of things so I'm not going to say necessarily who's going to be good who's going to be bad we don't know that necessarily but what I know is that in recent meetings the Hoosiers have I was going to say in recent meetings they've played well against um Purdue but I guess in the most recent meeting they did not but generally speaking I mean it's a rivalry game that's going to be an exciting game Nebraska is going to feel like a winnable game unless things really turn around for them in one season basically that felt like a really winnable game and kind of a a Breaking Point last season for the Hoosiers Northwestern is the same they're so cyclical and whether they are really good or really bad that it it typically feels like a game the Hooters have a shot in they won the last meeting but that was 2019. those two teams have only played three times since 2012. so uh that is going to feel like a winnable game that's going to be that's just kind of the word to use is winnable games because those don't often happen in the big tennis you have to mark off Penn State Michigan Ohio State and typically Michigan state has losses right off the bat and you really limit how much even margin for air that you have with this schedule you have more margin for air you can look at the non-conference schedule FIU that certainly is a game that should be favored and Louisville will be honestly probably a loss it's going to be a tough game played in Louisville but then you have Charlotte at home so I think it's safe to say you're gonna have two wins out of non-conference play which means you need to find five wins in conference play we mentioned those five teams so your home games in 2024 are going to be Maryland again another team Indiana is competitive with and another team Indiana has beaten in recent years that will be a home game Maryland's won the last two before that IU won the three previous meetings that'll be a home game Minnesota will be a home game not a team really Indiana's played hardly at all I think the last meeting was uh the Friday night game between the two Minnesota's won the last four games but that dates all the way back to 2008. again it's gonna feel like a game that the Hoosiers should be close in uh the the Friday night meeting was two meetings ago but the the some of the more recent losses have been by seven points by three points by nine points so it's a game I think Indiana can head into barring drastic changes this season this season thinking that they have a shot in it so you have Maryland you have Minnesota Penn State it's going to be a tough one Purdue we kind of discuss UCLA it's going to be really interesting to see how they acclimate to the Big Ten they've never played in football uh UCLA has had kind of a I believe last season was a bit of a rough season for them I am not going to really have any sort of idea of how those two programs are going to adjust to the Big Ten adjust to flying across the country to play games regularly and just that's not even really taking into account the state of the program I was wrong last year they were good they were nine and four last year uh eight and four the year before that so even kind of in quote unquote down years uh they're still a good team so that's going to be a tough meeting your road games though well that's the other big point before we move on you have five Road games excuse me five uh home games in Big Ten play alone Maryland Minnesota Penn State Purdue UCLA you add in Florida International and Charlotte you have seven home games in that season as part of a 12-game season seven of them are at home that is another reason this feels like a really big season that you have to take advantage of you you aren't often dealt favorable hands in the Big Ten when you are you really have to take advantage of them I don't know how well positioned IU is going to be to do that and there are certainly things you you could point to that you would believe they would be if Taven Jackson uh adjusts and plays well you're gonna have a talented quarterback coming back next season or maybe Dexter Williams depending on how that situation goes you have weapons Jalen Lucas Assuming he's back uh you're constantly bringing in wide receivers Donovan McCauley I think cam camper is a senior this year but you have talent that you can point to is optimism for 2024 your road games aren't the worst necessarily Michigan state is a team it's unclear uh how good they're gonna be I mean it seemed like they were on an upward trajectory took a bit of a step back last season IU was a team that handed them a pretty big gut punch of a loss that's obviously a rivalry game it's been pretty evenly matched over the last number of seasons the Hoosiers might have something there that they can play tough in that one Nebraska the Hoosiers have won in Nebraska recently it wasn't last season but recently they have one in Nebraska Northwestern that we mentioned typically a team IU can play close with and then Wisconsin is one that I I feel probably will be just kind of looking at that schedule probably with Penn State the two I would mark off as the safest losses I know Wisconsin has a new coach but Luke fickle is really really good and I use beating them once since 2002. it it is what it is Wisconsin's a good football program but only marking only looking at the schedule and saying there are two Surefire losses that alone I think is a big change moving forward again the first time since 2008 Indiana isn't going to have to play Ohio State and Michigan and you get kind of the more favorable addition and getting to play UCLA instead of UC USC that's a huge gift now if you look back to 2008 when I you did not have to play either one of those schools you can look at IU schedule that season they played one ranked team in Penn State they went 3-9 that season so if that doesn't tell you everything about Indiana and taking advantage of situations I don't know what will they lost a ball state that year they won their first two games against FCS schools and then lost five straight games they barely beat Northwestern who we mentioned and then lost our last four games of the Season including the central Michigan and including getting destroyed in the old oak and bucket game to Purdue uh and Curtis Painter so just because it's a favorable situation doesn't mean the Hoosiers are going to take advantage of it but realistically what you can I mean asking for a favorable situation is all you can do when it comes to the Big Ten there's not going to be that Gauntlet stretch that there has been in so many years where you have a four five six game span where you have to play Ohio State Michigan State Penn State Michigan all in these uh this stretch of games that just isn't going to exist That season so I think uh you have to walk away from that feeling confident happy with how that 2024 schedule shook out now having said all of that the flip side to this is that 2025 is going to be really rough and it's going to be a much much tougher schedule maybe tougher than they've had in the Big Ten West in recent years we'll talk about the flip side of that and what's going to make 2025 so difficult here in a moment so as good as the 2024 schedule is there has to be an opposite to that and uh that's going to be the 2025 schedule with good comes the bad not only are you going to have to play Ohio State Michigan USC two of those are on the road Ohio State and USC you only have four home games in the Big Ten and the good news is that you have three home non-conference games but it's going to be a much much tougher task for Indiana they're going to open the season non-conference play against Old Dominion Louisville and Indiana State all at home to open the season they won't have to leave Bloomington again Old Dominion Indiana State those are wins Louisville we'll see how things get on with uh with the new coach Jeff Braum but it's going to be certainly a tough a tough game I think then you go into Big Ten play we don't have obviously the exact dates of games yet but we just mentioned that you're not going to have a gauntlet stretch in 2024 there's there's a decent chance you have one of those in 2025 because there are nine games in Ohio State Michigan Michigan State and USC are almost half of those games now they could be spaced out but it's unlikely and you're going to have to go to Ohio State go to USC go to Purdue as well go to Maryland that's the other kind of uh good thing about the 2024 schedule is that the Purdue game is at home uh and the Maryland game is at home but then you'll have to go to Maryland go to Purdue go to Illinois in 2025 as well the Hoosiers just played well and beat Illinois and what was actually easily their best win of the season last year and uh one of their better wins in recent years based on how Illinois ended up later on in the season but that is a program that sure certainly seems like it's on the rise and then your home games are going to be Michigan and Michigan State which again Michigan's going to be tough Michigan State you could kind of go either way depending on what your thoughts are on Mel Tucker and how that program's looking right now Iowa which is always going to be a frustrating game I mean Iowa is Iowa so that one's always going to be tough the Hoosiers last time they beat Iowa was 2012 that was at home that's the only time they've beaten them since 2007 have teams against Iowa since 2001 so that's going to be a tough game uh and then you have or Rutgers that we mentioned I mean in theory Rutgers shouldn't be a tough game but Indiana's made it a tough game more often than not they had the huge homecoming game collapse they lost the first game against Rutgers in the Big Ten they won five games in a row and had some thoroughly dominant performances mixed in there but the last two games have been getting hammered by Rutgers in 2021 when the team had given up and last season one of the most frustrating losses I think of the season was at Rutgers so it's not a game Indiana's Made Easy in recent years and just as we said the road to six wins looks clearer in 2024 you can't exactly point out six wins in that season but you can look and say there's only kind of two clear losses maybe three depending on going to Louisville you look at 2025 you're losing the Ohio State game almost certainly you're losing the Michigan game you're losing the USC game you're not going to be you're not going to feel great going into the Michigan State game and now you're looking at three and a half four games right off the bat that you're probably not going to win as in depending on what happens with Louisville you might Chuck that in there as well if Jeff Brahm is able to get them turned around and suddenly things aren't nearly as bright the Purdue game you're playing on the road against Purdue who knows what the state of that program is going to be but in recent years that certainly hasn't been necessarily easy and any rivalry game is it going to be easy especially on the road so it what it's just kind of the inverse all this is just the inverse of 2024. if it was easy to see or clear to C6 wins 2024 it's a lot harder this is also more reason why Indiana has to do really well in 2024 I think I I struggle to go into any game and say they need to any season excuse me and say they need to make a bowl game especially with it being IU football we'll see how things kind of play out this season it's going to be really tough to call it a successful season if I you does not make a bowl game in 2024 and it FIU doesn't make a bowl game in 2024 it might be Tom Allen's job done so that places a lot of pressure on that season because you know The Following season is going to be significantly harder and much more difficult to find six wins in a bowl game it certainly sets up a really interesting Dynamic with IU football Tom Allen the Big Ten moving into those two seasons because the Hoosiers you're gifted a chance I think at a favorable schedule and a a bowl game appearance in 2024 but what it costs you is probably any real chance at a bowl game in 2025. do you guys agree do you think I'm being too harsh on the 2025 schedule do you think expectations should be high in 2024 let me know in the comments down below if you're on YouTube over at Twitter in the reviews anything like that appreciate all you guys for making us your first listen every day and for tuning in late on this Monday uh the show got up late because it was a a long weekend so we're back no more long weekends we'll be doing it three times a week during June so we'll be back on Wednesday and recap uh of women's basketball Seasons catch up on any other news we might have missed as well follow us on Twitter if you have not already at Lo underscore Hoosiers subscribe to the podcast leave that rating and review you guys know how much it helps us and I greatly appreciate every single one of you that do it but as always guys I hope you have a tremendous week get your week started off ride on this Monday and most importantly Leo