Hoosier bowl opponent?

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Patrick Brown (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss the Vols, the Hoosiers and the Gator Bowl.A weekend full of speculation ended with Tennessee accepting a bid to the Gator Bowl, so the Vols will play Indiana on Jan. 2 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. The first segment of this episode is focused on the process that led Tennessee to its Gator Bowl bid, rather than a bid in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl in nearby Nashville. There were compelling reasons for Tennessee to prefer both places, so there’s plenty of discussion on why the Vols ultimately insisted on Jacksonville rather than their own state capital.The second segment of this episode is focused on Indiana football. The Hoosiers are historically a Big Ten doormat with just 11 bowl appearances and three bowl wins in their 121-year history, and they have to share a Big Ten West Division with juggernauts Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Michigan State, but they’ve gotten something going with third-year head coach (and Hugh Freeze protege) Tom Allen. They went 5-7 in each of Allen’s first two seasons but have jumped to 8-4 this season, with all four losses coming to ranked teams.Indiana and Tennessee have campus separated by just a five-hours-and-change drive but have played only once — a 27-22 win for the Vols in 1988 — so there’s plenty to learn about the Hoosiers, and this podcast episode can be the first step in that process.The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.