History.

IU does not have a strong football history. Indeed, IU ranks fairly low among major conference teams in all-time wins and winning percentage. Still, to put today's game in historical perspective, here's a list of IU's games, from 1900 to present, in which IU has lost by more than 50 points:

The opponent's record is in parentheses. Take a look at those records, and compare and contrast to the record of the team that did this in 2008. In 100 years of mostly bad football, that's only 16 games in which IU has lost by 50 or more points. I write this not to rub salt in the wounds of fellow IU fans, but to show that I'm not exaggerating a bit when I call today's game what it was: the worst loss in the history of Indiana University football. Much more later.

Addendum:

IU lost five games by more than 50 points in the 19th Century: to Depauw and Purdue in 1891; to Purdue in 1892; to Purdue in 1893; and to Butler in 1894. All finished with winning records, so my point stands.