Indiana, Fernando Mendoza outclass Alabama in Rose Bowl to reach CFP semifinals

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PASADENA, CA — The dream season for No. 1 Indiana continues.

The undefeated Hoosiers picked up where they left off after winning their first Big Ten title since 1967 last month, dominating No. 9 Alabama 38-3 in the 2026 Rose Bowl for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal win.

It was another impressive showing for Curt Cignetti's team, punctuating another blowout for its seventh win of the season by at least 30 points while handing Alabama one of its most embarrassing postseason performances.

The defense prevented Alabama from generating much offense. That paved the way for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza and company to work their magic, powering through an aggressive Crimson Tide defense that couldn’t contain the Hoosiers en route to a win that was decided by halftime. 

The first playoff win for Indiana is also its the first Rose Bowl victory in its second appearance in “the granddaddy of them all.” Indiana advances to the semifinals to play No. 5 seed Oregon in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9.

It was Alabama's biggest bowl game loss in program history and the 35-point deficit is the largest since the 36-point loss to Arkansas in 1998.f

Both teams traded punts on their opening drives and it ended up being the first scoreless first quarter in the Rose Bowl since 2000. Indiana opened the scoring early in the second quarter with a field goal. 

A gamble by Alabama furthered the Indiana momentum. Facing a fourth-and-short on its own 34-yard line, the Crimson Tide lined up to go for it, just for Indiana to call a timeout. The Crimson Tide then ran the punting unit on the field, only to try some trickery in getting the Hoosiers to jump. They didn’t, and Alabama used a timeout.

After the back-and-forth, Alabama opted to still try to go for it in the wildcat formation. Daniel Hill tossed to Germie Bernard and was stuffed. Indiana got the ball back, and five plays later, Mendoza found Charlie Becker for a sensational 21-yard touchdown pass. 

It was the first Rose Bowl touchdown for Indiana after it scored only a field goal in its lone appearance in 1968, and pushed the lead to double-digits for good. The Hoosiers added a touchdown before halftime to take a 17-0 lead into the break.

After Alabama went three-and-out to open the second half, Indiana marched right down the field to extend the lead 24-0 and continued the onslaught the rest of the way.

Playing in Indiana’s first game as the No. 1 team in the country and first since being named the best player in college football this season, Mendoza delivered another exceptional outing. Despite getting sacked three times in the first half, he had little trouble finding targets. He completed his first six passes of the game and finished 14-for-16 with 192 yards and three touchdown passes. 

Mendoza also used his legs to pick up some key first downs, a small part of a running game that combined for 221 yards with Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black leading the way.

On the other side, Alabama late-season offensive struggles continued as it couldn’t generate much against an elite Indiana defense. The Crimson Tide got into Indiana territory on their opening drive and didn’t get back in it until the middle of the third quarter. Alabama was 3-for-11 on third down and didn't convert its two fourth down attempts.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson struggled with just 67 passing yards, his lowest of the season and first time he was held under the century mark. He took a hard hit to the ribs late in the first half and was taken out after the first drive of the third quarter, replaced by Austin Mack.

The backup quarterback had some bright spots and led Alabama to its lone red zone possession of the game, which resulted in a field goal to prevent the Crimson Tide from being shut out for the first time since the 2000 Iron Bowl.

Indiana’s win also snaps a dreaded skid for teams with a first round bye in the 12-team playoff; the Hoosiers are the first top four seed to win after such teams were 0-6 since the new format began last season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Indiana outclasses Alabama in Rose Bowl to reach CFP semifinals

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