Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Alabama vs. Indiana is the kind of Rose Bowl matchup that feels like it belongs to two different eras of college football at once: the blueblood brand name that’s lived on the sport’s front page for decades, and the modern, transfer-fueled juggernaut that’s arrived faster than anyone could’ve drawn up.
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has built a program with real teeth — disciplined, balanced, and confident in tight games — and it starts with Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza isn’t a “hero ball” guy; he’s an efficiency machine who gets the ball out, avoids disaster, and lets Indiana’s structure do the heavy lifting. The Hoosiers’ calling card is completeness: they can run it, they can play defense, and they rarely beat themselves. That profile is exactly why they’ve earned the No. 1 seed conversation and why a lot of models and market voices still lean their direction.
On the other sideline, Kalen DeBoer has Alabama back in the playoff mix, but this doesn’t feel like a vintage Alabama team that can simply suffocate opponents and cruise. The Tide’s story has been more “survive and advance” than “dominant and inevitable,” and the national perception still carries that familiar SEC halo — the unspoken trust me, bro, we’re in the SEC logic. That argument lands less cleanly when you turn on the tape and see an offense that can stall and a team that’s had to scrap for rhythm.
Alabama’s path to an upset hinges on quarterback Ty Simpson playing composed football — accurate, decisive, and mistake-free — because if he gets rattled, Indiana will turn this into a field-position grinder. And that’s the core conflict here: Indiana looks like the more complete unit, but we’re still looking for opportunities to go against the Hoosiers as if they’re a guaranteed national title contender. They’ve been excellent, but the playoff is a different ecosystem.
The problem is, Alabama doesn’t feel like a clean “buy” either. If you’re being honest, these look like two teams Notre Dame could have handled by double digits on the right day.
Still, in a low-scoring, high-variance game, we’ll take the ugly points and the late stand.
Pick: Alabama 17, Indiana 19.
