There are several fears I have in this world. For starters, I hate snakes (I kill one when I see one) and I am not too fond of needles either, which is why I don’t look at them when I got shots growing up.
I don’t care who you are; you could be the toughest person on the planet, but deep down, you have a fear of some kind. Of course, we all have different things we are scared of.
In the college football world, most schools would be hesitant to play Ohio State, Georgia, or any other top-ranked team. But Virginia? It appears that one Big Ten school might be.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Indiana quietly canceled the home-and-home football series with Virginia, scheduled for 2027 and 2028. In fact, they don’t want to play the game so badly that they are paying a $500,000 cancellation fee.
As bad as the payout sounds, what’s even worse is their replacement for that game. Instead of playing Virginia, the Hoosiers will play Kennesaw State in 2027 and Austin Peay in 2028.
Good for those two schools getting paid to play Indiana, but this is a terrible look for Indiana football. Last year, the Hoosiers were one of the biggest stories in college football.
Their head coach, Curt Cignetti, is one of the most outspoken coaches in the sport, and for a man who portrays himself as a tough individual unafraid of anyone, this certainly makes him appear weak.
Virginia is a program that has been down for a while. Sure, Bronco Mendenhall had a little success there for a year or two, but if you go back and look at the history, it hasn’t been great over the last 15-plus years.
In fact, since 2008, the Cavaliers have had only two seasons in which they finished above .500 in conference play. Over the last 20 years, they have appeared in just six bowls and won only one bowl game. To say that they have been a bottom-of-the-barrel program in the ACC would be an understatement.
As crazy as this sounds, this isn’t even the first time Indiana has dodged a program from the ACC. In 2023, following a loss to Louisville in Indianapolis, the Hoosiers withdrew from a home-and-home series with the Cardinals for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Even back then, it was a questionable move.
Much like their replacement for Virginia, their replacement for Louisville wasn’t better. Last season, Indiana’s non-conference schedule included games against FIU, Western Illinois, and Charlotte. And this year they will play Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, and Indiana State.
What Indiana is doing should be frowned upon. Instead of playing at least one quality non-conference opponent each year, they opted to play three cupcake games to pad their schedule.
I expect this to be a growing trend not just with schools from the Big Ten, but also with those from the SEC. If they cut everyone else out, then nobody can question how bad their conference is. As long as they don’t play schools from the Big 12, ACC, or a top group of six schools, then there is no measuring stick because the only real opponents they play are from their conference.
This is just another example of the Big Ten trying to undermine college football. We are already seeing it with the playoff format, and now they are trying to create their own agendas to ensure they are protected from any negative press. Some may call it smart, but I call it being a coward.
