Indiana, You’re On...STATWATCH PLAID

Everything about Micheal Penix Jr.’s leg injury flat out sucks. The catalyst of Indiana’s offense, artist of the defining on-field moment in the Big 10 this year, suffering another season-ending injury? That SUCKS! Now, former 4-star Utah QB Jake Tuttle will get thrown into the deep end against an incredibly angry swarm of Badgers.

The absolute gut-wrenching part is that it happens during Indiana’s best season since 1967, when they split the Big 10 with Minnesota and Purdue and got voted as the Big 10’s representative to go to the Rose Bowl.

In an odd coincidence, that vote sending the Hoosiers to Pasadena simultaneously meant two things. First, it meant that in the life span of the average senior, every original Big 10 team had traveled to Pasadena. Northwestern, Indiana and Purdue all made their only 20th century Rose Bowl in this span, and all other teams showed up at least once.

It also meant that for a long time, Michigan and Ohio State would be the only representatives.

With the Big 10 being represented by two teams for that long, every other team broke a long drought between trips to Southern California.

Some of those games are remembered pretty fondly around here.

Some might be better known for how the team got there.

Some might be better known their star linebacker returning to coach.

The Reach should be that same iconic moment in this conference.

Like I said, this sucks.