A few years ago, Indiana fans humorously gave a nickname amid the rise of Michael Penix Jr., saying, “9-Windiana.” Look at them now! In head coach Curt Cignetti‘s debut season, Indiana fans are living that 9-0 winning streak dream. But it won’t be fair only to credit Cignetti for the Hoosiers’ success. After all, the Heisman candidate and Indiana’s star quarterback, Kurtis Rourke, almost single-handedly bore the weight of his team’s success for the nine games he played. Naturally, he’s getting praises from football analysts.

On the November 9th episode of CBS Sports, the analyst trio Danny Kanell, Damien Harris, and Beanie Wells discussed a few important aspects of the upcoming Indiana vs. Michigan game and QB Rourke’s contributions. “He brings leadership. He’s been one of the more efficient quarterbacks in the country, and I think he might creep into the Heisman conversation, maybe not after today, but if he pulled off the upset against Ohio State, I think that would be his ticket to New York City,” Kanell said, highlighting Rourke’s Heisman odds if Indiana secures a win today.

Furthermore, QB Kurtis Rourke is currently holding +3000 odds to win the Heisman race after showcasing an amazing 2204 passing yards and 19 touchdowns with just three interceptions. Along with his mates, Kurtis Rourke played a big role in Indiana’s success. Now, as per CBS Sports analysts, Rourke needs to win against two opponents, Michigan and Ohio State, to become a Heisman nominee and grab his ticket to the Heisman event in New York City.

Indiana is entering this week 11 game holding a 9-0, and if they secure a win today, many things will change forever. Do you know one interesting factor about this game? Well, the Michigan Wolverines were an underdog facing Indiana back in 1968. That’s wild! And now, after 56 years, they are facing the same opponent again. Michigan is an underdog. That’s how college football works. no wonder they say this sport is unpredictable.

College Game Day favoring Kurtis Rourke’s team against the Wolverines

The Wolverines are entering this game with a 5-4 record and 3-3 in the Big Ten to play against no. 10 ranked Indiana at Indiana University Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. Sherrone Moore’s team is coming out of a 17-38 loss to no. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks in a home game last weekend.

It’s interesting to note that Sherrone Moore and Curt Cignetti are currently in their debut seasons, but look at how Cignetti has transformed the program! He has changed Indiana’s history forever. Moving forward, during College Game Day’s latest episode, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, along with other analysts, predicted which team would win this game.

Desmond Howard, being the exception, picked the Michigan Wolverines to win. Besides that, Pat McAfee picked Indiana to win, followed by Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne, who also favored Indiana. After this, Nick Saban also supported all of them by predicting Indiana to secure a win. Former Hoosiers HC Lee Corso, surprise, surprise, picked Indiana to win, and the same goes for Kirk Herbstreit.

Can the Wolverines turn it around? Looks unlikely for the defending champs, but we know college football can get tricky when you least expect it to.