Indiana's bowl destination revealed, matchup set with SEC opponent

After missing out on a New Year’s Six bowl game, Indiana later on Sunday received word they will be officially playing Ole Miss in the 2021 Outback Bowl.

IT’S OFFICIAL!!!! @IndianaFootball and @OleMissFB are headed to the 2021 #Outbackbowl January 2nd! 🎆🏈🌴

Hope to see you all there to start off the New Year with some #Footballinparadise! Get your tickets now in the link!https://t.co/4Vx4TTN6GO pic.twitter.com/YBoE5ooBRZ

— Outback Bowl (@outbackbowl) December 20, 2020

The hopes of making a top-tier bowl game came up short early Sunday, despite the Hoosiers being ranked No.7 in the Associated Press Top-25 poll.

Officially, Indiana was ranked No. 11 in the final College Football Playoff rankings released on Sunday.

The Hoosiers haven’t played in two weeks due to COVID-19, but according to head coach Tom Allen, the team plans to return to practice on Monday to allow time to get ready for Mississippi.

Ole Miss currently has a 4-5 record, and are coming off a 53-48 loss to LSU on Saturday.

The bowl game should be a good one, but there’s no denying the disappointment of not getting a better bowl. It also cost Tom Allen a shot at a big-time bonus.

The Outback Bowl will be played on Jan. 2, 2021 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.