We’re left with a void in history as the two programs have never faced each other in this quarterfinal game. Ironically, however, Alabama faces the tall task of beating top seed Indiana in the College Football Playoff.
Here’s a preview of the Rose Bowl, including how each team ended up in Pasadena.
🔴⚪️ Indiana (13-0)
The Hoosiers are the team to beat. We kicked off the college football season in August, with 136 FBS teams looking to go undefeated. Flash forward to the end of December, and Indiana is the last remaining undefeated. In football. Indiana. i know
It may sound strange, but Curt Cignetti’s two-year turnaround of this program is arguably the best turnaround in college football history. The Hoosiers had 24 wins in Cignetti’s two years. In Cignetti’s previous five years, Indiana had 23 wins. Indiana has won 17 Big Ten titles in the last two years. They had a total of 16 in the previous six years. Between 2000 and 2024, the Hoosiers had three winning seasons, one of which came in the Covid-shortened 2020 season. From 1995 to 2018, Indiana never cracked the AP poll. The list could go on, but I think the main thing happened. This is not normal.
There was speculation last year about whether or not Indiana was the real deal. Only played in one ranked game in 2024 against Ohio State, losing by 23. But this season is undeniable. The Hoosiers enter Autzen Stadium, snapping an 18-game winning streak at Oregon midway through the season and closing out the CFP with a win over previously undefeated and top-seeded Ohio State.
The results speak for themselves, the name takes only a few seconds to use.
“It’s very simple. I won. Google me,” Cignetti said in a December 2023 interview after taking the Indiana job. Here we are two years later with the Hoosiers, led by Heisman quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who are 13-0.
The Hoosiers are tops in nearly every major statistical category in the nation, including scoring offense (3rd), scoring defense (2nd), total offense (8th), total defense (4th), 3rd down conversion rate (1st), 3rd down conversion rate (2nd) and turnover margin (2nd). Yes, that’s a lot of stats, but it shows how consistent the Hoosiers have been on both sides of the ball. It is difficult to identify its weaknesses.
🐘 Alabama (11-3)
We’ve talked about Indiana’s history, but we don’t need to touch on the Tide’s program. Their accolades speak for themselves. Historically, this battle is between David and Goliath. But it is clear that this comparison will not happen in 2025. However, you definitely can’t count the tides.
Kalen DeBoer’s team was down three points in the first round of the CFP against Oklahoma before rallying for a 34-24 victory in Norman.
Alabama’s season ended with a loss to Florida in Week 1, and Georgia snapped its 33-game home winning streak three weeks later. The Tide won four straight between September and October and climbed to No. 4 in the AP poll. But a mid-November loss at Oklahoma left Alabama fans with uncertain CFP hopes for the trip.
A win over arch-rival Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium secured DeBoer’s team a spot in the SEC Championship Game, and Georgia avenged a regular season loss by falling 28-7 in Atlanta. However, Alabama secured the second at-large bid to the original 12-team CFP.
Early-season Heisman front-runner Ty Simpson has sped up through the regular season, shining in big moments like the Georgia and Vanderbilt games, but the Heisman has lost steam.
The first-round win over Oklahoma was the Tide’s most yards per loss of the season (17), but the win proved Alabama can come from behind and overcome the biggest loss in CFP history. The SEC championship certainly left a bad taste in Tuscaloosa, but a first-round win could very well revive a team loaded with talent on both sides of the ball.
Alabama doesn’t have the same eye-catching national rankings as the Hoosiers, but it’s never wise to count the Crimson out in the postseason. We should be in for a great afternoon of matchups between two of the most historically contrasting programs in CFP history.
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