2026 IUFB Season

[Banksyrules]

6 minutes ago, Brass Cannon said:

Big question I have for @michigan is how red will that crowd be. If they have some early set backs against Oklahoma and Oregon that could be a very dejected fanbase looking to make a buck on tickets 

That can be a fun trip

[Banksyrules]

I’m going to fly in for the Ohio State game. When reserving at the union do u need a game ticket before reserving?

[Stuhoo]

16 minutes ago, Banksyrules said:

I’m going to fly in for the Ohio State game. When reserving at the union do u need a game ticket before reserving?

Nope. The Union hotel is just that—a hotel. And a great place to stay that’s about a 20 minute walk to the stadium.

[RoadRage]

So when do they start adding seats to Memorial Stadium and could playing games in Lucas Oil for a year be a possibility?

[Brass Cannon]

1 minute ago, RoadRage said:

So when do they start adding seats to Memorial Stadium and could playing games in Lucas Oil for a year be a possibility?

I doubt it. Stuff like that I would imagine they would spend the extra money to do over the course of several offseason.  Maybe non conference games. 

[Brass Cannon]

I think I am going to try and get Tickets for

Northwestern.  My sister in law is a big fan and was going to invite her down 

[rcbowla]

22 minutes ago, RoadRage said:

So when do they start adding seats to Memorial Stadium and could playing games in Lucas Oil for a year be a possibility?

Logistically I'd say yes but I doubt they want to do anything to squander the opportunity to play "true" home games at the height of the program. Idk if or how they'd do the renovations/additions but I'd imagine they'll do whatever they can to not interfere with home games. Just my thought anyhow. 

[Magnanimous]

22 minutes ago, RoadRage said:

So when do they start adding seats to Memorial Stadium and could playing games in Lucas Oil for a year be a possibility?

There’s plenty of open space to put in new seats at Memorial Stadium.  I’d imagine any new capacity would not get in the way of existing seating or involve changing the current seating (i.e., replacing bleachers with seats). A new press box with suites would also be built around the existing structure, so there should be minimal impact to the fan experience if that’s our next improvement.

For reference, Penn State is currently doing a complete overhaul of their stadium, and they’re still playing games there. 

[Brass Cannon]

I still think watch parties at assembly hall is something we should consider.  A cheaper option for folks who still want the tailgating option.  Maybe only sell the tickets after all tickets are sold for a game so they don’t end up losing ticket revenue. 
 

I know it’s a unique thing but Not many teams deal with the problem of an alumni base 15x their stadium capacity.  
 

Honestly it would be a great option for last minute btown trips. 

[Pagoda]

Building out stadium capacity is a tricky question.

- We didn't really get close to selling out our cupcake non-con games last season.  Even next year I'm not sure we will sell out all these games, maybe just the opener.  The AD probably overpriced these tickets a bit, but resellers were selling them from $20 or less.

- Conference play was more in demand, last season Illinois was pricey, but the rest of the home slate was ~$80-100 to get in.  But, fans also had the option to buy season tickets at pretty reasonable prices (as cheap as $40/ticket), and I think that will still be true after whatever the 2026 price increase is.

- There will be more demand in 2026, but capacity will only be an issue for the conference slate, notably OSU, USC, and PU.  NW and Minny will still probably be somewhat reasonable to get in to.

Can IU justify adding much capacity for the two or three marquee games per year at home?  I tend to think not.  Bloomington is still a smaller college town an hour from Indy.  I tend to think 58-60K is about right for Memorial Stadium's final form.  I apologize for any self-imposed limitations in this thinking.

Also, I agree with @rcbowla and @Magnanimous that the stadium renovations will probably be done in stages such that games stay on campus.  We've got the window with Cig and I don't think we mess with it by going to Indy.  But, I'm guessing.

[Artie86]

15 minutes ago, Pagoda said:

Building out stadium capacity is a tricky question.

- We didn't really get close to selling out our cupcake non-con games last season.  Even next year I'm not sure we will sell out all these games, maybe just the opener.  The AD probably overpriced these tickets a bit, but resellers were selling them from $20 or less.

- Conference play was more in demand, last season Illinois was pricey, but the rest of the home slate was ~$80-100 to get in.  But, fans also had the option to buy season tickets at pretty reasonable prices (as cheap as $40/ticket), and I think that will still be true after whatever the 2026 price increase is.

- There will be more demand in 2026, but capacity will only be an issue for the conference slate, notably OSU, USC, and PU.  NW and Minny will still probably be somewhat reasonable to get in to.

Can IU justify adding much capacity for the two or three marquee games per year at home?  I tend to think not.  Bloomington is still a smaller college town an hour from Indy.  I tend to think 58-60K is about right for Memorial Stadium's final form.  I apologize for any self-imposed limitations in this thinking.

Also, I agree with @rcbowla and @Magnanimous that the stadium renovations will probably be done in stages such that games stay on campus.  We've got the window with Cig and I don't think we mess with it by going to Indy.  But, I'm guessing.

IMO …..finding and creating more parking to accommodate additional seating is going to trickier than adding more seats.

[LIHoosier]

25 minutes ago, Artie86 said:

IMO …..finding and creating more parking to accommodate additional seating is going to trickier than adding more seats.

They'll end up paving all the grass lots and build a couple of pedestrian bridges over E 17th St to allow for easy crossing. 
Editor's Note: Don't ruin the fun in dodging E 17th St traffic, man?!?

[Hovadipo]

I’m also in the camp that we don’t need some 10-15k seating increase and I’ve seen nothing to suggest they’re looking into it. Until they need a season ticket waitlist or something, I don’t think the demand is there to justify what that would cost. Press box/premium seating and general stadium modernization will be the only major noticeable changes coming any time soon imo. 

[OliviaPope40]

Crap forgot to ask season tickets.

[Banksyrules]

Wonder why Cooper hasn’t announced yet? 

[southsidehoosier]

1 hour ago, Banksyrules said:

Wonder why Cooper hasn’t announced yet? 

 

[AZ Hoosier]

This one made me laugh. Out loud.

[Pagoda]

4 hours ago, Banksyrules said:

Wonder why Cooper hasn’t announced yet? 

Hoosier Huddle guys say they were told Coop was going to tell IU soon on his decision (NFL or not).

Someone made an interesting point the Friday draft entry deadline we were looking at was only for underclassman and that therefore doesn’t apply to Coop.  AI agrees with this.  I guess he’s probably just trying to decide what to do.

[8bucks]

4 hours ago, AZ Hoosier said:

This one made me laugh. Out loud.

[rcbowla]

Man, if Hoover can spin it this team is going to be fun to watch again. It's weird that we're in the middle of bball season and I can't wait for September. The earth has changed it's rotation and you won't convince me otherwise. Wild times.