I still remember back in the day watching football and baseball on astroturf. It was the rule rather than the exception, but to see players diving and cringe as they hit the all-weather turf as if they were bouncing off of concrete and how this surface created such injuries as “turf toe”, it was apparent that this was not the end-all be-all for playing surfaces.

Over the years, other synthetic surfaces have been created that are better off for players, and while their costs for the teams are sometimes a bit more to maintain, the long term effects are what colleges and pro teams are looking for–so when Illinois and Indiana announced that they were changing from astroturf to FieldTurf, it wasn’t really a surprise. Well–for Illinois, anyways, who had planned this along with their stadium “renaissance” that will renovate Memorial Stadium.

On the other hand, Indiana’s change was not premeditated, as the Hoosiers had their turf damaged in the recent storms, tornadoes, and flooding that hit the state with voracity; water rushed underneath the Hoosiers’ turf and created a two-foot deep sinkhole near the South end zone, creating a ripple-effect of damage that reached midfield.

Both schools are anticipating having their new playing surfaces installed prior to their respective 2008 home openers.