Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
By Chris Marler
Indiana waited 34 years for a bowl victory, and they made sure to make it count with a dominant 38-3 win over Alabama.
The Story
The fatally flawed underdog meeting the physically dominant and uber talented No. 1 team in America played out exactly like it usually does in the Rose Bowl. You just may have had to do a double take looking at the logo for each team.
Indiana outclassed, outcoached, and outplayed Alabama up and down the field in the College Football Playoff, and looked every bit the best team in America while doing so.
The Hoosiers got off to a slow start offensively, but their defense bottled up Alabama all afternoon. It was not death by a thousand papercuts, it was methodical drive after methodical drive and the Hoosiers doing whatever they wanted on both sides of the ball. The Tide tried to keep it close and trailed 10-0 late in the first half. Then disaster struck. Ty Simpson was able to evade Indiana’s rush on third down and escaped out of the pocket running for a first down. Three yards past the line to gain he was hit in his lower back, jarring the ball loose.
The turnover gave the ball back to Indiana, leading to another touchdown drive with less than 30 seconds before halftime. It also knocked Ty Simpson out of the game.
From there Indiana continued to impose its will. They forced a three-and-out on the first drive of the second half and then went on a 10 play, 79 yard death march to go up 24-0. Eight of the ten plays were run plays, and Curt Cignetti’s offense made it look effortless.
Indiana improves to 14-0 on the season and will meet Oregon in the Peach Bowl for a chance to play in the national championship.
The Stats
22: Alabama led the SEC in fourth down conversions this season with 22. They were 0-2 against Indiana including one in the second quarter from their own 35 yard line that set up Indiana’s first touchdown.
1-6: Before Indiana’s win in the Rose Bowl, teams with a first round bye in the 12 team CFP were 0-6 in the playoff.
7.1: Indiana averaged 3.6 yards per carry in the first half against Alabama. They averaged 7.1 on the ground in their first three drives of the second half.
The Social Media Reaction
“You gotta be a sick individual to be enjoying watching Indiana destroy Alabama in the Rose Bowl”
Me: pic.twitter.com/w7CblbdswR
— ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴄ: ɪᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴍᴇᴍᴇꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ (@JustMemesMore) January 1, 2026
Pat Coogan winning the Rose Bowl offensive MVP might be the best thing ever.
And that was absolutely four quarters of F-you football.
— Andy Staples (@AndyStaples) January 2, 2026
The last time the Rose Bowl has seen a team look this bad was … well, every UCLA home game this season
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) January 1, 2026
CFP teams with first-round byes were 0-6 heading into this Rose Bowl!
“And that concerns me why?” pic.twitter.com/7GLoXQqGIb
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) January 2, 2026
Fernando Mendoza and his mom couldn’t stop smiling watching his younger brother, Alberto, take QB snaps at the Rose Bowl ❤️ pic.twitter.com/eL8muVkA5C
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 2, 2026
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