The defending champions, the Indiana Hoosiers, are all set for their final non-conference game. However, a small non-game-related hiccup has left fans questioning the decision of the program.
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Ahead of the game, the localized wind gusts posed a safety hazard for handling the stadium’s massive primary American flag on its main flagpole. To avoid damaging the flag or creating a hazard for stadium staff, IU Athletics opted not to hoist it as high into the open wind.
“Due to high winds in the area, we will not be able to raise the American flag as usual at today’s game. The ROTC Color Guard will present our colors as a part of pregame,” the Hoosiers posted on X on September 19.
The confusion among the fans stemmed from the Hoosiers not providing any details about the weather conditions in Bloomington. Those who were already present at the stadium did not feel the ‘high’ winds that Indiana mentioned in its post.
“I’m literally sitting on the hill outside Assembly Hall,” one fan commented after the announcement was posted. “There is barely a breeze. It would be nice if we got some of those “high winds.””
It is also unclear from Indiana’s post whether other game day traditions will go as usual. For instance, every Indiana home game includes a volunteer group that displays a giant flag of the program. It spans nearly half the football field. Moreover, every Indiana win is followed by an official Victory flag that goes up over Memorial Stadium.
The fans continued to display their amusement over the decision. One Indiana fan even posted a screenshot of the weather report in response to the X post by the Hoosiers. The screenshot showed nothing alarming about the wind speed. The fan captioned the post, “Huh?”
“The weather app says 6mph gusts at 4 pm?” another fan commented, confused with the decision of the program.
But not everyone was there at the stadium. Other fans showed a sense of relief with the conditions. “I’m ok with the winds…heat relief on the field,” one fan commented.
However, as the official notice stated, the program immediately pivoted to ensure the national anthem ceremony remained respectful. They let the school’s ROTC Color Guard present the colors manually at the field level instead. A smaller, temporary flag was also flown safely at a lower alternative location in the stadium.
The weather conditions at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington for the game, for now, remain mostly stable. They are hopefully escaping the worst predictions. Before the kickoff, a lot of concerns about the environment were raised.
The official pregame forecast for the kickoff included highs in the low 90s to upper 80s. The weather was mostly predicted to be sunny, but offered a bit of late-afternoon shade for the home stands.
With the weather kept aside, the Hoosiers are entering the game as a massive 44.5-point favorite. The defending national champions can easily dominate the overmatched Hilltoppers to push their record to 3-0 and extend their 19-game winning streak under head coach Curt Cignetti.
Indiana will officially kick off Big Ten play by hosting the Northwestern Wildcats under the lights next Friday, September 25. In their last 2 games, Indiana won 55-0 from Howard and a good 52-16 win against North Texas.