We enter this quarterfinal matchup with a blank slate historically as the two programs have never faced off on the gridiron. But as odd as it is to say, Alabama has a tall task ahead as it looks to knock off top-seeded Indiana in the College Football Playoff. 

Here is a preview of the Rose Bowl, including how each team arrived 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. Fast forward to late-December, Indiana is the last undefeated remaining. In football. Indiana. I know.

It might sound odd, but what Curt Cignetti has done with this program in two years is arguably the best turnaround college football has ever seen. The Hoosiers have 24 wins in two years with Cignetti. In the five years before Cignetti, Indiana had 23 wins. Indiana has 17 Big Ten wins the past two years. They had 16 total in the six years prior. From 2000-2024, the Hoosiers had three winning seasons, one of which came in the Covid-shortened 2020 season. From 1995 to 2018, Indiana never breached the AP poll. The list can go on, but I think the point is made. This is not normal. 

And last year, there was speculation on whether Indiana was the real deal or not, only playing in one ranked game in 2024 against Ohio State and losing by 23. But this season is undeniable. The Hoosiers walked into Autzen Stadium and ended Oregon’s 18-game home win streak midway through the season before capping off their CFP resume with a win over previously undefeated and reigning champions Ohio State. 

The results speak for themselves, the name might just take a second to get used too. 

As Cignetti said in his interview after taking the Indiana job in December 2023, “It’s pretty simple. I win. Google me.” Here we are two years later with the 13-0 Hoosiers led by Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. 

The Hoosiers are near the top of pretty much 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 allowed (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. Its hard to identify a weakness. 

🐘 Alabama (11-3)

We’ve talked about the history of Indiana, but there’s no need to really touch on the Tide’s program. Their accolades speak for themselves. This matchup is David versus Goliath, historically speaking. But obviously, in 2025, this comparison does not play. Nevertheless, you certainly can’t count the Tide out. 

Kalen DeBoer’s squad is coming off an electric comeback over Oklahoma in the CFP first round, down three scores before storming back to a 34-24 win in Norman.

Alabama’s season has been a rollercoaster, falling Week 1 to Florida State before snapping Georgia’s 33-game home win streak three weeks later. The Tide rattled off four consecutive ranked wins between September and October, climbing as high as No. 4 in the AP poll. But a home loss to Oklahoma in mid-November sent Alabama fans back down the ride as their CFP hopes were uncertain. 

A close road win in Jordan-Hare Stadium over arch-rival Auburn secured a spot for DeBoer’s squad in the SEC championship where Georgia avenged its regular season loss in dominant fashion, as the Tide fell 28-7 in Atlanta. Still, Alabama secured the second-to-last at-large bid for its first 12-team CFP berth. 

Early-season Heisman frontrunner Ty Simpson saw his season ebb and flow with the Tide’s schedule, shining in big moments early on like in the Georgia and Vanderbilt games, but losing his Heisman steam down the stretch. 

The first round win over Oklahoma was unchartered territory for the Tide, facing their largest deficit of the season (17), but the win proved Alabama could play from behind, overcoming the largest deficit in CFP history. The SEC championship certainly left a bad taste in Tuscaloosa, but the first round win could very well reinvigorate a squad that is flooded with talent on both sides of the ball. 

Alabama doesn’t have any eye-popping national ranks the same way the Hoosiers do, but it’s never smart to count out the Crimson in postseason play. We should be in store for a great afternoon matchup between two of the most historically opposite programs in CFP history.