Memorial Stadium is set to be busy long before Indiana and Ohio State ever take the field.
The Hoosiers’ Noon ET kickoff against the Buckeyes on Saturday comes with a full slate of pregame entertainment, starting outside with FOX Big Noon Kickoff. The show will be staged on the South Lawn, where the fan pit opens at 8:30 a.m. ET and the broadcast goes live at 10 a.m.
FOX is planning plenty of extras for the crowd, too. Giveaways will include game tickets, shirts, hats, gift cards and more, and the network will hand out $500 for the best sign.
The action won’t stop once fans get inside Memorial Stadium. Straight No Chaser, the acapella group founded at IU, is scheduled to sing “Back Home Again in Indiana” during the Marching Hundred pregame show.
There’s also a big arrival planned for Hoosier the Bison. IndyCar champion Alex Palou will wear a custom IU race suit and helmet, drive Hoosier onto the field in an IndyCar and lead the crowd in the I-U Chant at midfield. Palou will also appear on the FOX Big Noon Kickoff Show.
Then comes one of the most eye-catching moments on the day’s schedule: four Army Blackhawk helicopters are set to fly north to south over Memorial Stadium after the National Anthem, with rooftop fireworks following behind.
Gates open at 10:30 a.m., and the Marching Hundred pregame show begins at 11:30.
No. 5/4 Indiana (6-0) will meet No. 4/5 Ohio State (5-1) at Noon ET on FOX.
In Other News...
Indiana Took The Least Painful Route Into Jersey Patch Sponsorships
Indiana University is taking a broader swing at corporate partnership revenue, expanding its relationship with Merchants Bank into jersey patch sponsorships across all 24 varsity athletic programs. The banks logo will now show up on jerseys, coaches apparel and throughout Indianas athletic venues and digital platforms, adding another layer to a relationship that already includes naming rights to the field at Memorial Stadium.
For Indiana, the appeal is obvious: more visibility, more support and one less awkward step in the ongoing march of college athletics toward branded everything. The move also reflects how familiar this partnership already is to Hoosiers fans, with the banks presence now stretching beyond one part of the football experience and into nearly every corner of the department. The next question is how quickly that expanded footprint becomes part of the everyday look and feel around Indiana sports. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Just Won A Huge NCAA Eligibility Fight For Now
A legal fight that has hovered over Indiana athletics took another turn this week when the Indiana Court of Appeals denied the NCAAs emergency motion to stay a preliminary injunction keeping three Hoosier athletes eligible to compete. Football players Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, along with basketball player Sam Alexis, remain on the field and the court for now while the larger case works its way through the appeals process.
The ruling matters well beyond those three names, since 97 student-athletes in the case are covered by the same injunction. The NCAA had pressed for a stay, arguing that letting the athletes play would cause irreparable harm, but the court was not persuaded enough to grant it, leaving the association to keep fighting while Indianas players continue competing under the current order. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Has A Chance To Shake Up The Big Ten Race
With the Big Ten race still looking far from settled, Indiana is suddenly part of one of the weekends most intriguing matchup discussions. Much of the national attention will be fixed on Oregons uncertainty at quarterback and how that shapes the larger conference picture, but the Hoosiers have their own path to altering the conversation if their defense can hold up against Ohio State and force the rest of the league to take notice.
The broader college football slate only adds to the stakes, with Ole Miss dealing with defensive issues and Missouri watching Austin Simmons closely in another game that could ripple into the rankings. There is also the ever-present backdrop of a possible 24-team College Football Playoff expansion, which figures to be a talking point all weekend long, but for Indiana the immediate focus is simpler: keep the pressure on in a race that still has room for a surprise contender. [Read more 🡒]