Indiana cracks recent ESPN bowl game projection after Week 1

To say Indiana football has an entirely new look is a complete understatement. The Hoosiers’ roster is almost entirely made up of transfers from schools such as Ohio, Old Dominion, Wake Forest, and James Madison.

Curt Cignetti takes over the Indiana job with an impressive resume to his name. Cignetti has an overall record of 120-35, with previous stops at James Madison, Elon, and IUP. His track record has caught the eye of ESPN College Football writer Kyle Bonagura, who predicts the Hoosiers to play in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in his recent bowl projections .

Indiana is coming off a dominant 31-7 win over the Florida International Panthers in week 1 at Memorial Stadium. IU’s rushing attack propelled them to victory in this one, as the group of Elijah Greene, Ty’Son Lawton, and Justice Ellison all combined for 224 yards and three touchdowns.

New QB Kurtis Rourke made his season debut after suffering an ACL injury that kept him out for the entirety of the 2023 season. The former Ohio Bobcat completed 15 of 24 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown to former James Madison tight end Zach Horton. Explosive wide receivers Elijah Sarratt and Donoven McCulley were limited in their action, only combining for three catches and 21 yards.

The Hoosiers will take on a Western Illinois team Friday night in Bloomington, which lost by nearly 40 points to Northern Illinois last week. With the combination of Cignetti’s track record and a manageable first half of the schedule, there’s definitely a world where Indiana could be one of the Big Ten’s surprise teams this season.