The first college football team to reach bowl eligibility in 2024 isn’t Georgia, Ohio State or Texas. It’s Indiana, which improved to 6-0 after a 41-24 win over Northwestern on Saturday. This marks the Hoosiers’ best start to a season since 1967.

Indiana hasn’t been to a bowl game since the COVID-shortened 2020 season, when the Hoosiers lost the Outback Bowl to Ole Miss. They went just 9-27 over the next three seasons before firing head coach Tom Allen. This year, No. 23 Indiana has yet to trail in a game under new coach Curt Cignetti.

Now that IU is bowl eligible, Cignetti will receive an automatic one-year extension, a $250,000 raise, a $200,000 bonus and an increase in his staffing budget, according to USA Today. 

The Hoosiers have won their first three Big Ten matchups this season by double digits. On Saturday, senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns on the road against Northwestern, a week after he recorded 359 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 42-28 win over Maryland. 

The Hoosiers also had 158 yards on the ground against the Wildcats, with Justice Ellison (68 yards) and Ty Son Lawton each having a rushing TD. Elijah Sarratt had 135 yards on seven catches. 

No. 23 Indiana Hoosiers vs. Northwestern Wildcats Highlights | FOX College Football

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The nation’s No. 3 scoring offense entering Saturday broke the 40-point mark for the fifth time this season, putting up over 500 yards of total offense with no turnovers. 

Rourke enjoyed his third 300-yard performance in the last four games, while the Hoosiers averaged 4.9 yards per carry on the ground prior to the final drive. Indiana had the 11th-worst offense in 2023, scoring 22.2 points per outing.

Indiana’s schedule gets more difficult from here on out. After a bye next week, the Hoosiers host Nebraska and Washington in back-to-back weeks. They will also face No. 9 Michigan and No. 3 Ohio State in November. 

But for now, Indiana sits alone in first place atop the Big Ten standings. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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