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The Indiana Hoosiers are set to play in their first College Football Playoff game in program history. After winning 11 contests in the regular season campaign, Curt Cignetti’s group landed the No. 8 seed in the 12-team field.
They’ll square off against instate foe Notre Dame, making the three-hour drive up to South Bend for the December 20th contest. It just so happens that Indiana’s winter graduation ceremony takes place the same day.
To accommodate, the university announced a plan to move the ceremony up a few hours to allow folks to catch the 8 PM kickoff. That decision seemed reasonable, but it didn’t sit well with everyone in the student body!
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The school posted an update to its graduation schedule on Instagram to inform followers of the change. The comments section was filled with Hoosiers upset that the university is prioritizing football over the commencement ceremony.
“Football school this, football school that,” read one of the top posts. “At the end of the day, this is still an academic institution founded on STUDENTS getting DEGREES. Not players making touchdowns. I don’t understand in the slightest how this could be seen as the right decision when 90% of those graduating won’t be attending the game. IU will have plenty more football games. My friends WON’T have a second graduation. So disheartening.”
“Now MIND YOU, the game isn’t until 8pm and it’s not even a home game. Absolutely ridiculous decision on IU’s end,” said another.
This student wrote, “Unless you’re giving the graduates free tickets, there’s no reason to prioritize the game over the graduation.”
That sentiment was echoed by this follower. “What an embarrassing excuse of a school. Thank you for your consideration of hardworking graduates whose families now can’t attend their graduation because you care more about football than your students.”
Now, it’s worth noting that not everyone was upset with the move. There will surely be students and families planning to make the trip to South Bend. Plenty of others will enjoy watching from home. The extra three hours will certainly make a difference!
Indiana’s not the only school to run into scheduling issues with the College Football Playoff dates. Penn State, too, had to make adjustments to its winter graduation calendar with the Nittany Lions hosting a game in Beaver Stadium that same weekend.
The Hoosiers weren’t expecting to be in the 12-team field when this date was initially scheduled. A conflict was likely the last thing on the university’s mind. With that being said, this might be something schools begin to re-evaluate in the future given CFP expansion.