FOOTBALL GAMEDAY: The Rose Bowl Game (College Football Playoff Quarterfinal)
GAME 14
The Rose Bowl Game | College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
No. 11/11/9 Alabama (11-3, 7-1 SEC) vs. No. 1/1/1 Indiana (13-0, 9-0 B1G)
Thursday, January 1, 2026
Rose Bowl Stadium | Pasadena, Calif.
Setting The Scene
• No. 1/1/1 Indiana will face No. 11/11/9 Alabama in Rose Bowl Game as part of the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals on Thursday (Jan. 1) at 4 p.m. inside Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California on ESPN.
• The game marks Indiana's first appearance in the Rose Bowl Game since 1968. In that contest, USC defeated Indiana, 14-3.
• While it is Indiana's second ever Rose Bowl Game appearance, the Hoosiers did play in Rose Bowl Stadium in 2024 when they defeated UCLA, 42-13. The Week 3 win was Curt Cignetti's first Big Ten win as Indiana head coach.
• This will be the first meeting in program history between Indiana and Alabama.
• Cignetti coached the wide receivers and was the recruiting coordinator for Alabama in 2007-10 and Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Indiana in 2019.
News & Notes
• Indiana won its third-ever Big Ten Championship (1967, 1945) and first out-right title since 1945 when it defeated Ohio State, 13-10, in the Big Ten Championship Game (12/6) in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• Indiana’s defense is the only Power 4 unit in the country to pile up 100-plus tackles for loss and rank top-20 in scoring (10.8), rushing (77.6), passing (179.5) and total (257.2) defense categories.
• On offense, the Hoosiers are one of three Power 4 programs that have 2,500 rushing yards and 3,000 passing yards on the season. Indiana (2,875 rush, 3,271 pass) are joined by Florida State (2,624 rush, 3,041 pass) and Oregon (2,822 rush, 3,274 pass) entering the CFP quarterfinals.
• Following the Big Ten Championship win, Indiana moved to No. 1 in the College Football Playoff Rankings, the Associated Press Poll and USA Today/US LBM Coaches Poll for the first time in program history.
• The 24 victories since the beginning of the 2024 season are the most in any two-year span in program history and rank tied for No. 3 nationally in that time. The 17 Big Ten wins during that span are also the most in a two-year stretch in IU history. MORE ON PAGE 4
• Curt Cignetti's 24 victories in his first two seasons at Indiana are tied for the most in Big Ten history by a coach in his first two seasons at a school. He is tied with only Urban Meyer (24, 2012-13; Ohio State).
• Indiana had its first perfect regular season in program history with a 12-0 record and is 13-0 for the first time after the Big Ten Championship Game. The only other IU team to finish without a loss is the 1945 team at 9-0-1. The 13 victories are the most in a single season.
• The Hoosiers are 44-27-1 all-time as a ranked team, which includes a 1-3 record on a neutral site.
• Head coach Curt Cignetti started a season at least 10-0 for the third-straight season, after he started back-to-back seasons at 10-0 (Indiana, 2024; James Madison, 2023) and has at IU at 13-0 entering the Rose Bowl Game.
• Seventeen different Hoosiers were recognized on the All-Big Ten Teams (including both the coaches & media) and seven individual awards won. MORE ON PAGE 5
• Fernando Mendoza threw one touchdown passes in the Big Ten Championship Game win over the Buckeyes to move him to 33 on the year, the most of any Hoosier in a single season and is No. 1 in the FBS and Big Ten. He also is the national leader in touchdowns accounted for (39) MORE ON PAGE 7
• Elijah Sarratt leads the Big Ten with 12 touchdown receptions and Omar Cooper Jr. is tied for No. 2 with 11 touchdown receptions with Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) and Makai Lemon (USC). The Hoosier duo is also among the top-5 of the program's career receiving touchdowns charts. MORE ON PAGE 9
• Rolijah Hardy has logged 10 tackles in back-to-back games and ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten in sacks (8.0).
Rose Bowl Game Game Links
Stout Defense Ready for College Football Playoff (FEATURE)
Special Teams Give Hoosiers ‘Winning Edges’ (FEATURE)
Edgy, Humble, Hungry – It’s All There for Rose Bowl-Bound Hoosiers (FEATURE)
Media Monday: Pre-Rose Bowl Game Virtual Teleconference (VIDEO)
Indiana Game Notes (PDF)
Alabama Game Notes (PDF)
NOTEBOOK: Top-Seeded Hoosiers Embrace Alabama Challenge, Rose Bowl Opportunity (FEATURE)
OPPONENT: CFP Quarterfinal - Kalen DeBoer Press Conference (VIDEO)
Keep up with all of the Indiana football insight from IUHoosiers.com staff writer Pete DiPrimio on Don't Miss a Pete.