The No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers dominated the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide with a 38-3 victory in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2026. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza threw three touchdown passes, while the Hoosiers' defense shut down Alabama's offense. Indiana advances to face No. 5 Oregon in the Peach Bowl on January 9.
The Rose Bowl game in Pasadena, California, kicked off at 4 p.m. ET amid forecasts of an 85% chance of rain and temperatures in the upper 50s. Indiana, entering undefeated at 14-0, quickly asserted control. After Alabama sacked Mendoza twice early, forcing a punt, the Hoosiers responded with a 31-yard field goal by Nico Radicic to lead 3-0 late in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Indiana's defense forced a fumble from Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, recovered at Indiana's 42-yard line. Mendoza then connected with Charlie Becker for a 21-yard touchdown on third down against a blitz, making it 10-0. Alabama's fourth-down attempt at their own 35 was stuffed by the Hoosiers, setting up a 1-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. just before halftime, extending the lead to 17-0. At the break, Mendoza was 10-of-12 for 93 yards and two scores, while Simpson went 10-of-13 for 64 yards. Indiana had rushed for 86 yards, compared to Alabama's 29.
The third quarter saw Mendoza's third touchdown, a 24-yard strike to Elijah Sarratt, pushing the score to 24-0. Alabama managed a 28-yard field goal by Conor Talty after a drive led by backup quarterback Austin Mack, who replaced the injured Simpson and completed 4-of-5 passes for 46 yards, including a 34-yard gain to Germie Bernard. Mack's efforts narrowed it to 24-3.
Indiana sealed the rout in the fourth quarter with rushing touchdowns: Kaelon Black's 25-yard run for 31-3 and Roman Hemby's 18-yard score for the final 38-3. Black finished with 99 yards on 15 carries, Hemby 89 on 18, and Indiana totaled over 200 rushing yards. Mendoza briefly left late, replaced by Alberto Mendoza.
This win snaps a 0-6 skid for first-round bye teams in the expanded 12-team playoff. Indiana, who beat Oregon 30-20 in October, now prepares for the rematch. Pre-game predictions varied: IndyStar's Zach Osterman favored Alabama 27-24 in decent weather but Indiana 28-10 in rain, while Michael Niziolek picked 31-17 for the Hoosiers, citing Alabama's weak run game (No. 120 nationally). Betting odds had Indiana as a 7-point favorite with a 71.4% win probability per ESPN.
