If Alabama beats Indiana, where is Crimson Tide CFP semifinal game?
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PASADENA, Calif. — Both Alabama football and Indiana have more on the line Thursday, Jan. 1 than just adding themselves to the Rose Bowl record books.
Alabama and Indiana will fight for their College Football Playoff lives in the 2026 Rose Bowl, a CFP quarterfinal for a spot in the semifinal.
The winner of Indiana/Alabama will face either Oregon or Texas Tech in the CFP semifinal. But where will either the Crimson Tide or the Hoosiers play in the semifinal?
Alabama/Indiana CFP semifinal location
College Football Playoff spokesman Brett Daniels confirmed to The Tuscaloosa News that CFP semifinal placement “is based on the top seed.”
If Indiana beats Alabama in the Rose Bowl, the Hoosiers, as the No. 1 seed, will pick to play either in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Thursday, Jan. 8 or the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl Friday, Jan. 9.
If Alabama beats Indiana, the preference will fall to the other side of the bracket. No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Georgia or No. 6 Ole Miss will choose whether it wants to play in the Peach Bowl or Fiesta Bowl.
Alabama is the No. 9 seed in the CFP.
When is 2026 Peach Bowl?
The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT Friday, Jan. 9 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
When is 2026 Fiesta Bowl?
The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday, Jan 8 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama football CFP semifinal location if Crimson Tide beats Indiana
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