Ranked seventh nationally, Indiana took the field Saturday in Tampa, representing the Big Ten against Ole Miss in this year’s Outback Bowl. It’s customary for schools to wear their conference emblem on helmets and uniforms, but the Hoosiers took a different tact Saturday, sporting an Outback Bowl patch where “B1G” would normally be. And in case you thought that was merely a coincidence, Indiana also covered up the Big Ten logo on its helmets, replacing it with the acronym LEO, which stands for “Love Each Other.” Wisconsin, Ohio State and Northwestern each displayed their conference logo in recent bowl games, making Indiana’s omission all the more glaring.
Once the internet caught wind of Indiana’s uniform alterations, which were first noticed during Friday’s media day at Raymond James Stadium, many speculated the Hoosiers were staging a silent protest of sorts, rebelling against their conference for various reasons. Despite the Hoosiers having a higher national ranking and a better record against common opponents, the Big Ten’s bid to the prestigious Citrus Bowl was instead awarded to Northwestern. That obviously rubbed Indiana the wrong way, as did the decision for Ohio State, originally deemed ineligible for only having played five games, to represent the East Division in last month’s Big Ten Championship.
Given recent events, it’s easy to see why Indiana would want nothing to do with the Big Ten, though coach Tom Allen did his best to dispel that narrative Friday, insisting the Hoosiers meant no disrespect by concealing their conference logo. “To clarify what we are wearing on our uniform and helmet for tomorrow’s Outback Bowl: since I took over as Indiana head coach, this program’s mantra has been LEO, love each other. This season has been the most trying we will ever experience and we felt it appropriate to showcase LEO, which has carried us through one of the most historic years in Indiana Football history,” Allen explained in a statement released by the school. “We did not intend to show disrespect to anyone. We are a proud member of the Big Ten and are always representing our conference.”
Was Indiana’s uniform fiasco all a big misunderstanding or was Allen just covering his tracks? My suspicion? A little of both.
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