Foster Farms Bowl 2016: Indiana vs. Utah TV Schedule, Time and Odds

Though sure to be a good football game, the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl featuring the Indiana Hoosiers and No. 19 Utah Utes tells the tale of two programs battling plenty of adversity.

Indiana (6-6) finished the season strong with a win to make a bowl before former head coach Kevin Wilson resigned due to an off-field issue. This leaves the team in an unexpected state of transition in the hands of new head coach Tom Allen.

Utah (8-4) had dreams of a much bigger bowl, then stumbled into a pair of losses to close the season. Motivation for the strong rushing attack comes into question after the players had to readjust postseason ideas.

Redemption and a bright future awaits the team able to clear the aforementioned hurdles. This Wednesday night showcase isn't one to miss.

Foster Farms Bowl 2016

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 28

Time (ET): 8:30 p.m.

Location: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Watch: Fox

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Over/Under: 64

Spread: Utah (-7)

Team Injury Reports

NAME	POS	STATUS
Mike Majette	RB	Out indefinitely
Brandon Knight	OL	Out indefinitely
Cole Gest	RB	Ques Wed
Dimitric Camiel	OL	Out indefinitely
Simmie Cobbs Jr.	WR	Out indefinitely
Jonah Morris	WR	Ques Wed
Jordan Fuchs	TE	Out indefinitely
J-Shun Harris II	WR	Out for season

NAME	POS	STATUS
Dominique Hatfield	DB	Doub Wed
Troy Williams	QB	Prob Wed
Cody Barton	LB	Out for season
Marcus Sanders-Williams	LB	Out for season
Jordan Howard	RB	Ques Wed
Armand Shyne	RB	Out for season
J.J. Dielman	OL	Out for season
Kylie Fitts	DE	Out for season
Siale Fakailoatonga	TE	Out for season

Injury reports courtesy of USA Today.

Tackling the Transition

Allen joined the Hoosiers this year and was tasked with improving the defense, which he did—not too difficult, considering Indiana had ranked 120th in total defense out of 129 teams the season prior.

Now, though, Allen has to take over the team and, in his first game as head coach, run the show during a postseason showdown with an experienced squad.

For his part, Allen started by reeling in his guys and having them relax, as captured by Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star:

"

At this point you're trying to get everybody kind of comfortable with what the direction is. When something like this happens, there's just a lot of questions. Questions about the coaches, questions about the future and everything, so I think for me, it was a matter of just kind of calming everybody down; say, 'Hey, this is what we're doing, this is the vision between now and the bowl game.'

"

The improved defense certainly had its moments, such as holding strong in an eventual 20-10 loss to then-No. 3 Michigan on the road. But the Hoosiers never put together a winning streak longer than two games and escaped with a two-point win against three-win Purdue at the end of the season to even go bowling.

Indiana will lean on lead back Devine Redding, who rushed for 1,050 yards and six touchdowns this year. The offense struggles through the air, hence quarterback Richard Lagow sitting on 18 touchdowns against 16 interceptions.

This applies to every team but seems especially pertinent with Indiana—how motivated and prepared the Hoosiers show up Wednesday will decide whether they can pull off the upset.

Finishing Strong

Utah absolutely has the ability to show up big Wednesday and take this win.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham isn't anything like his counterpart considering he boasts a 9-1 record in bowl games. This year his team won seven of its first eight games before crumbling down the stretch.

Scheduling didn't do the Utes any favors. The team lost to then-No. 4 Washington by a touchdown, won a game, then lost to Oregon by two points and then-No. 9 Colorado by five.

What this suggests, at least, is that the Utes will show up and fight in any game until the last whistle. Whittingham isn't underestimating the Hoosiers either, per Osterman:

Offensively, running back Joe Williams is the star for Utah, having rushed for 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns on a 6.4 yard-per-carry average. But he's far from alone, not with a deep attack boasting four players with at least 78 attempts.

One of those players is quarterback Troy Williams, who rushed 102 times and scored five touchdowns while also throwing for 2,579 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Indiana's improved defense will be a good test for the Utes, an offense that is accustomed to airing it out in the Pac-12.

Prediction

David Zalubowski/Associated Press/Associated Press

Experience plays a major role in bowl games, hence the odds out of Las Vegas aligning as they do. 

Indiana had a strong season with some encouraging performances, but it fizzled down the stretch and didn't look like a bowl-ready team even before the controversy with the coaching staff.

As such, Whittingham's team, quite accustomed to postseason domination, will show up more prepared and ready to roll. Indiana will have a hard time containing the dual-threat nature of Troy Williams, not to mention Joe Williams on his lonesome.

Look for the Utes to pull ahead early, allowing them to dictate the pace.

Prediction: Utah 30, Indiana 24

Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of OddsShark.

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.