LOS ANGELES, Calif. (WDRB) – The Rose Bowl may no longer represent the old Big Ten vs. Pac-12 pageantry, but this year’s quarterfinal feels like something even bigger: an inflection point in college football.
Top-ranked and undefeated Indiana (13-0), the upstart with a Heisman-winning quarterback and a coach who took the long road to Pasadena, faces nine-time Rose Bowl participant Alabama (11-2), the gold standard of the modern era under new leadership.
For Indiana, the game is more than a playoff, it’s a reckoning with history. The Hoosiers haven’t appeared in the Rose Bowl since 1968, but enter this one with wins over Michigan, Oregon, Ohio State, and a Big Ten title. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza leads the charge, having won the program’s first Heisman. Curt Cignetti, a Nick Saban disciple, helped Alabama win a national title in this same stadium as an assistant in 2009. Now, he returns as the head coach trying to take the storied program down.
Alabama, meanwhile, has found its edge again under Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide rallied from 17 points down to beat Oklahoma in Round 1 and features elite skill talent on both sides. DeBoer, once Indiana’s offensive coordinator, now carries Saban’s legacy into the postseason, with several former IU assistants on staff.
These are the stakes: New Year’s Day. The Granddaddy. The No. 1 seed. And a game that could be a passing of power, or a reassertion of it.
More on the matchup
Time
Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, 4 p.m. ET, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
How to watch/stream
TV: ESPN (Chris Fowler play-by-play, Kirk Herbstreit analyst, Holly Rowe and Kris Budden sidelines). Streaming: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial available)
Radio: Indiana Hoosier Sports Network, 96.1 WXVW FM (Don Fischer play-by-play), Buck Suhr analyst, John Herrick sideline. Streaming: IUHoosiers.com. Satellite: SiriusXM 84.
The Line
Indiana is a 7-point favorite. Over/under: 48.5. Moneyline: Indiana -258, Alabama +210. (DraftKings)
Notes: Indiana is 8-4 against the spread in its last 12 games and has hit the moneyline in all of those, but is 0-2 against the spread when more than a one-score favorite this season. Alabama is 9-3-1 ATS in its past 13 games. The under is 5-1 in Alabama’s last six games. Indiana is 3-11 straight up in its past 14 games vs. SEC opponents.
The Coaches
Indiana: Curt Cignetti is 24-2 in his second season at Indiana, 143-37 in his 15th season overall.
Alabama: Kalen DeBeor is 20-7 in his second season at Alabama, 125-19 in his 11th season overall.
An Indiana football helmet on display during Rose Bowl media day.
The Series
It is the first meeting between the programs.
Players to Watch
Indiana: The offense starts with quarterback Fernando Mendoza and his decision making. Running backs Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black key the rushing attack. At wideout, Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. are big play threats, but Charlie Becker has come on late in the season. Defensively, linebacker Aiden Fisher is a third-team AP All-American. Elijah Ponds is one of the top cover corners in the nation, while safety Louis Moore has six interceptions on the season.
Alabama: At quarterback, Ty Simpson is one of only three Division I quarterbacks with 28-plus passing touchdowns and five-or-fewer interceptions. Left tackle Kadyn Proctor, a consensus All-American, leads the Crimson Tide front. Wideout Germie Bernard leads the team in receiving yards and is second in touchdown catches to Miami transfer Isaiah Horton. Junior safety Bray Hubbard leads the team with four interceptions. Linebacker Deontae Lawson is Alabama’s leading tackler with 85 on the season, and cornerback Zabien Brown has two pick-sixes this season.
Sideline storylines
INDIANA ROSE REPEAT: Indiana is making its second appearance in the Rose Bowl, the traditional bowl destination for the champion of the Big Ten Conference. The Hoosiers only other appearance was in 1967, when it lost to USC and star running back O.J. Simpson 14-3. Alabama, meanwhile, has made eight Rose Bowl appearances, the first coming 100 years ago, a 20-19 win over Washington in 1926. Overall, it is 5-2-1 in the Rose Bowl. The Tide last played here in 2024, a 27-20 loss to Michigan.
ALABAMA UNBEATEN VS. HEISMAN WINNERS: Alabama will square off with top-ranked Indiana and 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential on Jan. 1. The Tide is 2-0 in its only two bowl appearances against a Heisman Trophy winner, first earning a 34-13 win over quarterback Gino Torretta and No. 2 Miami in the 1992 Sugar Bowl to secure the program's 12th national title. In 2018, Alabama bested quarterback Kyler Murray and No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, advancing to the CFP Championship Game with a 45-34 victory. In total, Alabama is 5-8 in 13 games in which its opponent included the eventual Heisman Trophy winner on its roster.
ALABAMA vs. No. 1: Alabama owns the NCAA record for the most wins all-time against the Associated Press Poll’s No. 1 team since the poll was introduced in 1936. The Crimson Tide has compiled 11 wins against the AP’s top-ranked team in program history, most recently against then-No. 1 Georgia in the 2023 Southeastern Conference Championship Game.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti and Alabama's Kalen DeBoer shake hands after a news conference before the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
INDIANA SUPERLATIVES: Indiana’s defense is the only Power 4 unit in the country to pile up 100-plus tackles for loss and rank top-20 in scoring (10.8), rushing (77.6), passing (179.5) and total (257.2) defense categories. On offense, the Hoosiers are one of three Power 4 programs that have 2,500 rushing yards and 3,000 passing yards on the season. Indiana (2,875 rush, 3,271 pass) is joined by Florida State (2,624 rush, 3,041 pass) and Oregon (2,822 rush, 3,274 pass) entering the CFP quarterfinals.
DeBOER VS. RANKED TEAMS: In his career, Alabama’s Deboer is 20-5 against teams ranked in the AP Top 25, including 7-2 in the top 10 and a perfect 4-0 against ranked teams on the road. He’s 8-3 against ranked opponents at Alabama.
CIGNETTI STARTS FAST: Curt Cignetti's 24 victories in his first two seasons at Indiana are tied for the most in Big Ten history by a coach in his first two seasons at a school. Only Urban Meyer (24, 2012-13; Ohio State) had as many.
WEATHER: With forecasters calling for rain during Thursday’s game, a string of 20 straight Rose Bowls without rain will come to an end. In 111 renewals of the Rose Bowl, it has rained only 10 times.
The Pick
Indiana 27, Alabama 21
You can talk about pass rush and running game all you want, but this one could simply come down to which quarterback plays better. Who can avoid mistakes? Who can utilize his corps of standout receivers? Indiana is missing its top pass rusher, but has found a way to scheme up pressure on quarterbacks all season. If they make life uncomfortable for Simpson, it will go a long way toward a Hoosier victory. Alabama is incredibly talented but also has shown some flaws. Indiana has been one of the most fundamentally sound teams in the nation all season. If all that holds, the Hoosiers should advance, though maybe not by the seven points the spread is calling for.
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