When Kurtis Rourke was seeking a place to extend his NCAA football career after five seasons at Ohio last December, he wanted somewhere committed to winning in what would be his final college season and last chance to impress NFL scouts.

So, on the surface, his decision to transfer to Indiana University seemed curious, given that the Big Ten school had averaged fewer than five wins a season between 2017 and 2023.

But Rourke was trusting his sense that new head coach Curt Cignetti, who started talking a big game the moment he got to Bloomington from James Madison University in Virginia last November, was going to be able to back it up.

And has he ever, with Rourke, the 6-foot-5 quarterback from Oakville, Ont. and younger brother of BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, as the prize of his transfer portal class.

The No. 16 Hoosiers are 6-0 for the first time since 1967, and host 5-1 Nebraska on Saturday with a realistic shot at finishing the season as part of college football’s first 12-team playoff class.

“It’s been a crazy first half,” said Rourke. “A lot of people ask if I’m surprised. I wouldn’t say I’m surprised, but I definitely didn’t go into the season saying we would have the........

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