IU football is having a really great year
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The Indiana Hoosiers have become the breakout team of the bigger, badder Big Ten.
Why it matters: Nobody saw this coming.
- After Saturday's win over Northwestern, the Hoosiers (3-0 in the Big Ten and 6-0 overall) became the first team in college football to be bowl game eligible in 2024.
- This is just the second time in the program's history that they've gone 6-0. They did it last in 1967.
The big picture: IU's zero-to-hero ascension seems built to last with first-year coach Curt Cignetti making good on promises to bring to Bloomington the winning ways that have earned him coach of the year honors in three conferences.
What he's saying: While making a stop on NBC Sports Monday, Cignetti said part of the team's "secret sauce" is a culture shift that started with bringing in 22 transfer students during the winter and locking in the consistency he began to see in his new team over the summer.
- "When you take a program over … you've got to change the way that people think. Inside and outside the program," he said. "Control the controllables. And we try to play that way. One play at a time. Six seconds a play. Every play has got a life and history of its own."
State of play: The Hoosiers are ranked No. 18 in the nation, the highest they've ranked in a season (except for the shortened 2020 season) since 1993.
Zoom in: Winning ballgames requires strong leadership, and senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke has emerged as a premiere play caller.
- The transfer from Ohio University has earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors twice this season.
- He leads the conference in touchdowns (14), passing yards (1,752) and passer rating (192.1).
- "Coach Cigetti talked about keeping that chip on your shoulder. I think that's very important," Rourke said after the Northwestern game. "We've had a great first half of the season. But we've got a big second half as well, so we've got to keep that chip on (and) know that they're going to be doubters no matter what."
Stunning stat: IU's powerful offense has already scored 285 points this season while averaging 47.5 points per game. That is more than the 266 points they scored in all of 2023 while averaging 22.17 points per game.
- IU scored 40-plus points in five straight games for the first time this year.
- When they beat Northwestern 41-24, IU matched its longest streak of double-digit wins first set between the 1905 and 1906 seasons.
Reality check: The Hoosiers still need to face the rest of the Big Ten's elite to hush the doubters.
- They've only played one winning team. That was on Sept. 28 when Maryland rolled into Indiana with a 3-1 record.
What's next: The Hoosiers are getting some rest this weekend, with Nebraska (2-1 in the Big Ten, 5-1 overall) lined up as an exciting homecoming weekend opponent on Oct. 19.
- After Nebraska, they play Washington (4-2) on Oct. 26, No. 25 Michigan (4-2) on Nov. 9 and No. 2 Ohio State (5-0) on Nov. 23.
Fun fact: The Cornhuskers were also the homecoming opponent for Purdue who lost to Nebraska 28-10.
If you go: Kickoff is at 12pm.
- Tickets start at $51 on Ticketmaster, $42 on Vivid Seats, $42 on SeatGeek and $38 on StubHub.
How to watch: The game will be nationally televised on "Big Noon Kickoff" on FOX.