On Nov. 26, Indiana beat Purdue to clinch its second straight bowl appearance. Five days later, everything changed.
Athletic director Fred Glass announced that head coach Kevin Wilson had been dismissed after allegations of player mistreatment surfaced. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen was called in off the recruiting trail and helped Glass break the news to the team that afternoon.
"That very first meeting was really, really hard," Allen said. "They get told by our AD about the change and then I had to walk up right there when he finished and talk to them."
Suddenly, Allen was the team's new head coach, armed with a six-year contract.