Indiana vs. Alabama CFP takeaways: Hoosiers flip Rose Bowl upside down with statement rout
PASADENA, Calif. — The talent on the field as assessed by recruiting rankers and the programs’ pedigrees would suggest Alabama (the third-winningest program in college football history) should beat Indiana (the second-losingest program) something like 38-3, rather than the other way around, as it turned out in Thursday’s Rose Bowl.
But Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers have turned college football upside down and may soon rule it. The biggest game and biggest win in Indiana history went as well as any of the tens of thousands of IU fans in attendance could have dreamed, at the expense of a blue blood suffering its worst loss since a 42-6 rout against Arkansas in 1998 and worst postseason loss ever. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza was 14-for-16 for 192 yards and three touchdowns for the Hoosiers, who outrushed the Crimson Tide 215-23.
Indiana hadn’t won a postseason game since 1991. Indiana had never played a game as the No. 1 team and has never finished higher than No. 4 in the rankings. Alabama had a record 122 games as No. 1, to go with a claimed 18 national championships. Oh, and of five previous quarterfinals in the 12-team version of the College Football Playoff, the higher-seeded team coming off the bye was 0-6.
None of it matters to the 14-0 Hoosiers. This is much more now than a heartwarming example of what is possible in college football’s new era — this is the best team playing and the favorite to win it all after dismantling Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide (11-4).
“They just execute at a high level, and everyone feeds off each other on both sides of the ball,” DeBoer said. “It’s not just one thing. You’ve got to tip your hat to coach Cignetti and what he’s done here.”
The No. 1 Hoosiers — somewhat stunningly, even at this point — dominated the No. 9 Crimson Tide up front on offense and defense to advance to the semifinals. Indiana will have a rematch with Big Ten rival Oregon on Jan. 9 in the Peach Bowl semifinal in Atlanta. Oregon (13-1), which lost 30-20 at home to Indiana in October, advanced by beating Texas Tech 23-0 in Thursday’s Orange Bowl quarterfinal.
A defensive grinder opened up in the second quarter after Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson (12 -or-16, 67 yards) had the ball knocked out of his hands by Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds. Isaiah Jones recovered for the Hoosiers, and Mendoza moved IU 58 yards for a 1-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. that made it 17-0. The second half was essentially garbage time, with Simpson leaving the game after one series due to what he later revealed as a cracked rib suffered on the first-half play when he fumbled.
A DART FROM MENDOZA FOR THE TD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ivhddNF2OQ
— ESPN (@espn) January 1, 2026
Mendoza backs up Heisman win
Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy convincingly, but his lack of impressive statistics against high-level competition led to pointed criticism from his detractors that he wasn’t the difference-maker in Indiana’s team success.
Against currently ranked opponents Iowa, Oregon and Ohio State, Mendoza made critical plays in key junctures to win those games away from Bloomington. But he also threw just four touchdowns and three interceptions in those games. Mendoza hushed any critics in the Rose Bowl, providing both the stats and the subtle moments.
“I’m very confident the way the team is playing,” Mendoza said. It’s not just myself. I think our entire team and our coaching staff really enjoy football, and I think that’s why we work so hard at it. We work really hard every single day because not only do we enjoy football, we also enjoy winning.”
Each of Mendoza’s three touchdowns was on a different route to a different receiver. Mendoza connected with Charlie Becker on a 21-yard post route in the face of a blitz. The quarterback threw a 1-yard strike to Cooper in the corner of the end zone with 17 seconds left in the first half, then ripped a 21-yard pass to Elijah Sarratt on a fade to boost the Hoosiers to a 24-0 lead.
But Mendoza was more than just a passer. On the Hoosiers’ scoring drive to open the third quarter, he rushed for 8 yards on third-and-5 and scrambled twice for a combined 20 yards. — Scott Dochterman
Tide can’t hang with Hoosiers
Forget the Heisman Jinx or the CFP Bye Jinx. Alabama needed a lot more help than that Thursday to try and hang with undefeated Indiana.
This Tide team looked like it didn’t belong on the same field as the Hoosiers, much less in the CFP.
Alabama sputtered down the stretch of the season, barely beating an inept Auburn team as well as losing at home to Oklahoma before getting crushed by Georgia in the SEC title game.
After coming back from 17-0 down to beat Oklahoma in the opening round, Bama didn’t have much left. The Tide started fast Thursday, pressuring Mendoza into two sacks to notch a three-and-out, but it was all downhill from there. DeBoer tried to get creative, but the Hoosiers blew up a fourth-and-short play early, and would beat Bama to the punch every time. Alabama struggled to convert third downs, going 1-for-5 while it couldn’t get its defense off the field, as IU went 4-for-7 in the first half.
Whatever hopes for a comeback were dashed on the Tide’s opening series of the second half. Bama’s defense was equally overmatched. The Tide let IU receivers run free into the end zone to wait for Mendoza’s spirals. Bama couldn’t wrap up Kalen Black and Roman Hemby, who ran through the Tide like they were Derrick Henry.
For DeBoer, this kicks off what will be a challenging offseason. The Tide missed the CFP last year, going 9-4, and then struggled at various points of this year, squeezing into the CFP. They needed some Sooners meltdowns to spark a comeback to get to the Rose Bowl. Against the Hoosiers, Bama showed little energy or edge and will have to have hard conversations to reestablish its culture. The Tide got embarrassed by an Indiana program that won just three games two years ago. — Bruce Feldman
Hoosiers may have impressed even Cignetti
Cignetti is known for a grumpy exterior, and he wears it often. It was on full display during a pregame Rose Bowl news conference, which took place one day before the game.
Cignetti lamented how the Hoosiers’ travel routine was altered because of the bowl game. Instead of flying to Los Angeles one day before kickoff — like the Hoosiers did before their 2024 matchup with UCLA — the team arrived three days beforehand. Never mind that before the College Football Playoff, teams spent more than a week in Southern California with side trips to Disneyland, the Pacific Ocean and the Beef Bowl.
“The last two days have been fairly disruptive, with the travel day and then a first practice on site,” Cignetti said. “So, as the leader, the head coach, I feel there’s a lot of loose ends we’ve got to tie together (Wednesday).”
As witnessed during the game, the Hoosiers found a way to alleviate Cignetti’s pre-game concerns. And Cignetti improved to 25-2 at IU. — Dochterman
Can Indiana beat Oregon again?
Oregon coach Dan Lanning didn’t like his team’s defensive performance in a 51-34 first-round win over James Madison. The Ducks were great on defense and uneven offensively — against a loaded Texas Tech defense — in Thursday’s 23-0 quarterfinal win at the Orange Bowl. Put the best of both together, and the Ducks will have a shot to avenge their 30-20 home loss to the Hoosiers on Oct. 11, in the Jan. 9 Peach Bowl semifinal in Atlanta.
Mendoza overcame a score-tying pick six in that game to hit Sarratt for the game-winning touchdown with 6:23 to play at Autzen Stadium. The Hoosiers picked off Dante Moore twice and sacked him six times in snapping the nation’s longest home winning streak (18 games) and getting the program’s first win over a top-five team since 1967 against Purdue. Now, they’ll meet again with a spot in the national championship game on the line. — Joe Rexrode
Indiana broke game open with fourth-down stop
If a single play represents the teams’ season in a microcosm, it took place on fourth-and-1 from the Alabama 34. After a pair of timeouts — one by each team — the Tide chose to go for the first down out of a wildcat formation. Running back Daniel Hill pitched forward to Germie Bernard running right to left on a jet sweep. Indiana strung out the play and linebacker Isaiah Jones met Bernard at the 34-yard line. Jones and fellow Indiana linebacker Ro Hardy brought down Bernard short of a first down.
“Just felt like it was going to be one of those games where you’ve got to take advantage of possessions,” DeBoer said. “Obviously, when you fall short, it’s the wrong decision, right?”
The Tide have struggled running the ball all season, and while it was considered a pass, it had every element of a run play. Alabama entered the game ranked 125th in yards per carry (3.43) while the Hoosiers ranked 10th (2.89 yards per carry) in stopping the run. Those stats permeated throughout the first half, with the Tide rushing for only 29 yards on 11 carries. Alabama’s longest run came on a 9-yard scramble from Simpson, who then fumbled. The Hoosiers capitalized and scored both of their first-half touchdowns after each stop. — Dochterman
Sun emerges after rare soggy start to new year
The Rose Bowl did not live up to Pasadena’s chamber-of-commerce standard on game day. But by the fourth quarter, it was borderline perfection.
It rained for most of New Year’s Eve and throughout the Tournament of Roses Parade, but it stopped about two hours before kickoff. The sun came out in the fourth quarter, and the clouds dissipated.
The quality weather alleviated the hand-wringing about the rain during the buildup to kickoff.
The last Rose Bowl to have significant rain took place on Jan. 1, 1955, when Ohio State beat USC 20-7. According to the Los Angeles Times, the rain turned local parking lots into “a sea of mud.” More than 1,500 cars stalled at the Brookside Golf Course, which led to police officers pushing at least 400 out of the mud. Even the tow trucks got stuck in the mud, and more than 1,200 police officers — including those off-duty — had to help with the traffic.
The only other game featuring inclement weather since 1955 was on Jan. 2, 2023, when Penn State beat Utah 35-21 in a rainy fourth quarter. — Dochterman
