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BLOOMINGTON °®¶¹app“ It is a dark and frigid night in the heart of southern Indiana, with light, fluffy snow coating the field at Memorial Stadium more than an hour before kickoff.

In short, it's all anyone could want for the first night game in the history of the Indiana-Purdue rivalry. 

It makes sense that the Old Oaken Bucket game is being played at a new time because for it has new stakes. For the first time, there are College Football Playoff implications in the meeting between these teams, with Indiana knowing it can come close to clinching a bid to the 12-team postseason with a victory and likewise knowing it will very likely be on the outside looking in with a loss.

On paper, a loss is not particularly likely. The Hoosiers, who had not lost until last week's 38-15 defeat at Ohio State, are favored by a four touchdowns against a Boilermakers team that has not beaten an FBS opponent this season and has not won a game against anyone since August.

Simply put, Indiana is enjoying the best season in program history °®¶¹app“ it can win 11 games for the first time with a victory today °®¶¹app“ and Purdue is suffering through the worst campaign in its history.

So, Indiana should roll tonight, right? Well, as former Hoosiers coach Lee Corso would put it, not so fast.

The Hoosiers' high-flying offense has stalled the last couple of weeks against Michigan and Ohio State as IU has had trouble protecting quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Could Purdue give Indiana trouble with some well timed blitzes? Coach Ryan Walters very likely believes so and will probably bring some exotic pressures to try to befuddle the Indiana front and force Rourke into mistakes.

Don't be surprised to see safety Dillon Thieneman rushing in from the defensive backfield to try to heat up the star IU quarterback. Of course, the chances of Purdue's pressure forcing Indiana into a big, game-turning mistake are increased by the conditions, which will make it difficult to hold on to the ball. Snow is falling steadily and gametime temperature will be below freezing, with an even colder wind chill. It is expected to be the coldest Bucket game since at least 1981.

The question for Indiana will be whether it can run to win the game. Purdue's rush defense has been nothing special this year, giving up nearly 200 yards per contest and 5.1 per rush, while the Hoosiers have run the ball well all season with Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton. But when passing isn't much of a threat, which it might not be today, IU is relatively untested. The Hoosiers ran the ball relatively well against Ohio State last week despite not being able to throw, but that was against light boxes as OSU tried to avoid giving up the big play after taking a lead. Purdue should be far more aggressive.

When the Boilermakers have the ball, the game will be in Hudson Card's hands. The fifth-year senior was spectacular in defeat last week, throwing for 342 yards in a 24-17 loss to Michigan State. Card is a true dual-threat player, capable of making plays outside of structure and of pulling the ball down and running for important yardage. Indiana has had trouble with quarterbacks like that at time this year and its linebackers will have to play well to keep Card contained. This is the final game of the quarterback's career and he'll be plenty motivated to ruin IU's season his way out.

Also motivated will be Boilermakers running back Devin Mockobee, an Indiana native who was not recruited by the Hoosiers out of high school. Mockobee has been a bright spot for a Purdue offense that has struggled most of the season, though he didn't do much in the Boilers' big second half against the Spartans. A big game from him today would put a cap on a third terrific season for the former walk-on and bring him close to the top 5 in Purdue history in rushing yards (he sits ninth coming into the day, 203 yards shy of Montrell Lowe in fifth).

On paper, Indiana is the better team today and by all rights should win the game. If this game goes the way many expect, it could end up being a coronation, with the Hoosiers rolling to a big, playoff-clinching victory in front of a picturesque packed house in the snow, creating images for the staff to sell for years on the recruiting trail. If the game is close into the second half, however, the Hoosiers could get tight.

There is no pressure on the Boilermakers in this game and they have a chance to erase many of the memories from a miserable season by ruining Indiana's entire year. They should play loose and enjoy their last time on a field together.

Indiana is coming off a loss and while the Hoosiers have been a confident bunch all year, we've yet to see how it will react to defeat. That's not to mention that Indiana has lost three in a row in this series and has not won since 2019. Will it be "same old Indiana" if this game gets tight? The Hoosiers would rather not find out.