PASADENA, Calif. — Finally, the team that was supposed to win did.
No. 1 Indiana shut down No. 9 Alabama and picked up a convincing 38-3 win at the Rose Bowl on Thursday afternoon. The Hoosiers, who are now a perfect 14-0 this season, will advance to the Peach Bowl next week to take on No. 5 Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Indiana is now the first team in the expanded playoff’s history to win a postseason game after receiving a first-round bye. Entering Thursday’s contest in Southern California, teams who had received a bye were a combined 0-6.
After a bit of a slow start — this was the first Rose Bowl in 26 years to have a scoreless opening quarter — things quickly spiraled out of control for the Crimson Tide. Kalen DeBoer and Alabama, after a bit of failed trickery, opted to go for it on a short fourth down deep in their own territory early in the second quarter. It backfired completely. They tried a short pass to convert the fourth down, which set up Indiana with incredible field position after it didn’t work.
Just four plays later, Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza found an open Charlie Becker in the back of the end zone for the touchdown. That put the Hoosiers up 10-0 at the time.
FERNANDO MENDOZA AND INDIANA FIND THE END ZONE FIRST 🎯
(via @espn)pic.twitter.com/3CX3T4WUOQ
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 1, 2026