My Two Cents: When You Dream Big, Rose Bowl Still In Play for Indiana
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — It was a month ago, so the quote didn't really mean much at the time. But I stuck it in my back pocket anyway, hoping to use it if all went well.
Indiana wide receiver Whop Philyor, the team's MVP so far and its most outrageous talker, had just finished his media responsibilities on Oct. 12 after the Hoosiers had beaten Rutgers 35-0 to raise their record to 4-2. It was the first of four games between the Hoosiers' two bye weeks, and all involved looked at it as an important stretch of the season.
Philyor was blunt.
"We're going to run the table,'' he said to me, and he wasn't just talking about the stretch in the middle. "We're going the win them all. I don't get why people keep asking us if we are going to get to six wins (to be bowl eligible).
"Man, why would it ever be our goal to lose four more games? That's stupid, man. We're going to run the table, win 10. You watch. You watch, man.'
So we've watched, and the Hoosiers have kept winning. They've won four in a row since that day — just like Philyor said they would —and are 7-2 now, ranked nationally for the first time in 25-plus years.
There are three more games to win. "Running the table'' continues this week after the second bye, with a trip to Penn State, a home game against Michigan and the end-of-year trip to Purdue.
Winning big means dreaming big right? If we buy in to Whop and picture the Hoosiers amazingly running the table, can we see 10-2? It's a longshot to be sure, but there would be an amazing prize at the end.
The Rose Bowl.
A lot of things need to go right
Is it outrageous to think the Hoosiers can play in the Rose Bowl? Not if you believe.
Getting to 10-2 means overcoming odds. According to ESPN's football power index, they only have a 10 percent chance to win at Penn State, and even only have a 24.5 percent chance of beating Michigan the following week. (Purdue is 64.5 in the finale).
But Philyor and the rest of the Hoosiers will start telling you on Monday that they have every intention of going to Penn State and winning. They are a confident bunch. They believe.
And if they do, why can't we? Getting to 10-2 means that playing in the Rose Bowl — something Indiana has done only once ever, and that was 52 years ago — is still on the table. Getting to 10-2, of course, puts them second in the Big Ten East, behind only Ohio State, who just might be the best team in the country.
A few other breaks need to go Indiana's way. Taking care of business themselves means bypassing Penn State and Michigan in the pecking order — as will Ohio State beating both of them, because the unbeaten Buckeyes are running the table, too. So they'd be done.
Iowa is also out after losing to Wisconsin last week, but the Hawkeyes could still have a say in this. Say Minnesota, who is 9-0 now, loses to Iowa this weekend but beats Wisconsin in the season finale to take the Badgers out of our picture. What if Minnesota gets a second loss by losing by 50 to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game?
Does a two-loss Indiana team then become more attractive to a two-loss Minnesota with a bad— and fresh and embarrassing— scar? That would be up to the Rose Bowl.
There' also one other path. Say Minnesota and Ohio State are both 12-0 in the Big Ten title game. Ohio State has a lot of love from the College Football Playoff committee, being picked No. 1 in the first poll release last week.
What if Minnesota beat them with a field goal at the buzzer. A 13-0 Minnesota team that's won the league would be in the playoffs, and maybe one-loss Ohio State would be deemed the best one-loss team over Alabama, Oklahoma or Oregon.
Both get in — and then Indiana would be the Rose Bowl's obvious choice, as well.
So you say there's a chance
All of this is a pipe dream, of course, but what's wrong with dreaming, anyway? Indiana can beat Penn State. Indiana can beat Michigan. Indiana can beat Purdue. You don't doubt that, do you?
This has been the season where Indiana has started to turn things around, so why not make the turn complete?
Indiana is going to a good bowl game for sure, even if form holds and they don't beat Penn State and Michigan. But why not dream big and go for the best. A Rose Bowl experience would be off the charts.
Unlikely? Sure. Possible? Of course.
Why? Because Whop said so.
