Why Kurtis Rourke, Indiana Could Be College Football Playoffs Cinderella

On By Littum

Collegiate sports are where legends are born and dreams come true.

And the new College Football Playoffs gives us another shot at a story this season.

Twelve teams are now fighting for the elusive title, where the perennial powers must go through teams that are not often in the national championship dialogue.

We have never seen a non-power five conference team win the national championship since the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was instituted in 1998.

BYU was the last team to be named a national champion in 1984 as a non-power five conference team.

That’s unlikely to happen again this year, as Boise State is the only team not in a power-five, but there’s still plenty of intrigue through the underdog listing here.

Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke is a quarterback that a fan base can rally behind. AP

In college basketball, every team seems to have a puncher’s chance, and we love following the Cinderella stories of obscure schools for an extended run in the March Madness tournament.

One could argue that a team’s run to the playoffs is already something out of a history book.

It’s the Indiana Hoosiers, who before the season rated outside the top 50 according to most websites, including the No. 89 on CFB Selectthe lowest of any team that made the post.

Indiana, whose only loss was at Ohio State, has all the makings of a tough game behind a stout defense and dynamic quarterback play from sixth-year senior transfer Kurtis Rourke.

The 6-foot-5, 231 pound senior from Ontario, Canada Rourke carries a solid offense with plenty of help at running back.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has put together an impressive season for Indiana. AP

Running backs Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton are among the more dangerous duos in the country and should make things difficult for the defense, especially against Notre Dame on Friday night.

Indiana enters that game as fair underdogs, seven points, in South Bend, Ill.

In freezing cold conditions and one of the better defenses in college football (4.1 yards per play allowed, third best in the FBS), Indiana is a tough matchup for anyone.

The Notre Dame-Indiana winner takes on Georgia, which is likely to be without starting quarterback Carson Beck after he suffered an elbow injury in the SEC Championship Game win over Texas.

Kurtis Rourke is a bruting 6’5 Canadian built for cold weather. AP

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.

Or shall we? It’s always fun to dream about the little guy growing up.