My two cents: Why Indiana-Purdue in Indianapolis would be a good idea

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The edges on my Indiana University diploma may start to curl and my Crimson-and-Cream loyalty card might get revoked, but I have to say it:

I’m with the Purdue folks on the Old Oaken Bucket game being played in Indianapolis.

During a radio interview on Tuesday, Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski brought up the idea of playing the end-of-year Indiana-Purdue football game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis instead of alternating campuses every year. The following day, IU athletic director Fred Glass dismissed the idea, and said it was a non-starter.

“Mike and I have had positive discussions about various ways to improve the atmosphere for the Old Oaken Bucket game,’’ Glass told the Indianapolis Star. “As part of those discussions, I’ve let Mike know that I’m not in favor of moving it to a neutral site.

“As Mike’s comments yesterday suggest, even if we wanted to move it, logistical challenges would probably prevent us from do so. I believe the Bucket game should and will stay on our campusues.’’

Phooey!

Frankly, the logistical issues came be overcome easily. And the positives far outweigh the negatives in my book. The toughest reason for IU fans to wrap their hands around this is because they’ve never experienced big-time neutral-site environments before, at least not for football. (And no, Ball State vs. Indiana next week doesn’t count) They have no baseline.

Well, I do. Tom to the rescue.

Because I’ve spent most of my adult life writing and living in Florida, I have been to the annual Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville several times. Fans of BOTH SCHOOLS love that annual tradition on the last weekend in October, and it’s so much fun that it’s been called “The World’s Great Outdoor Cocktail Party’’ for years, though school officials don’t like that nickname much.

I’ve been to a lot of other awesome neutral-site games too. In between my writing careers, I got to be a football FAN too, and as a loyal Florida State Seminoles booster, my friends, family and I have been around great environments in Atlanta, Arlington, Texas and even Jacksonville (for Alabama in Nick Saban’s first year) and they were tremendous weekends. Just so much fun.

And the huge bowl games — which Indiana fans sadly know nothing about either — are always divided 50/50 and everyone has a blast.

You’d love it. Trust me.

Here are several reasons why this makes sense:

Thousands of fans on both sides of the rivalry would get to go EVERY YEAR: If this became an annual tradition, the seats would be divided 50/50, so 30,000-plus IU fans can watch, unlike the 5,000 or so (tops) that get to now at a game in West Lafayette.
The nine-game Big Ten schedule would mean four home games, four road games and the neutral-site every year, too: Because the conference plays an odd number of games, this might actually be a good thing. It would help with a balanced schedule.
It could be a cash cow in Indy: And money talks, right? The Lucas Oil Stadium folks would love to add this game to their inventory every year, and it might improve the bottom line at both schools.
We loved it for Indiana-Kentucky basketball: Remember the great matchups in Indy or Louisville, with half the crowd decked in red and the other in blue? Those were SO MUCH fun. IU fans still go on and on about wanting that back, that’s how much they love it. You’d feel the same way about the football game. too.
The weather would NEVER be a factor: Playing indoors on Thanksgiving weekend would be a huge plus. We’d never have to worry about sitting through another Bucket game in 40-degree weather with the wind howling and sleet slapping up against our faces. And don’t give me that garbage about how football should be played outside. We’ve learned to love watching Colts games indoors, and if its nice, the roof can get opened.
Travel on game day would be better for the majority of fans: More IU and Purdue fans live in the metro Indianapolis area than anywhere else in the country, and on Thanksgiving weekend, we’re all home enjoying the holiday with family. This would great for travel for most of those people. (I’m not one, because home is in Schererville in the region, but I would still love a 2-hour drive instead of 3.5 hours, especially at the crack of dawn for an 11 a.m. Central time start.)
Tailgating and bar-hopping traditions would be created overnight: If the game was played in Indy every year, pre-game routines and tailgating frivolity would simply emerge in a new way — and you’d look forward to it every year, not only with your IU friends but also those people close to us who wear that gawd-awful black and gold combination. There would be a ton on IU-specific hopping places. (Insert boring Purdue fans joke here.)
There’s are easy workarounds for the high school football state finals: It is possible to move the five state championship games back a week. Heck, I think they should do that anyway. Ask some of these high school coaches about how worn out they are after three or four straight playoff games. A Super Bowl-like bye week would be much appreciated.
And here's one last thought: How about those years where Indiana and Purdue play only once in the quirky Big Ten basketball schedule? How about playing that in front of 50,000 people occasionally at Lucas Oil Stadium? That would be a nice feel in February.

So let’s not simply dismiss this Indy idea off-hand like Glass did. Any issues could be worked around. A new tradition could begin.

Yeah, it’s just me, but I think it would be a great idea.

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