With the Alabama Crimson Tide overcoming a 17-point deficit on the road to defeat the Oklahoma Sooners 34-24, we now know what team the Indiana Hoosiers will be playing in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. The top-seeded Hoosiers were going to face the winner of the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game. While IU may have preferred to draw the limited offense from OU, instead, they are getting Alabama next up.
This is a big issue for the Hoosiers for so many reasons. While they did take part in the playoff last year, this is untrodden territory for them as the favorite in the Rose Bowl. What could possibly go wrong? Keep in mind that every team that got a bye into the national quarterfinals lost a year ago. Ohio State upended Oregon in their rematch in the Rose Bowl, en route to winning a national title.
So why is this matchup so difficult for the Hoosiers? Well, Alabama is not yet dead. The Crimson Tide may struggle to run the football, but they are well-coached across the board. More importantly, Kalen DeBoer has strong ties to Indiana previously. He used to work in Bloomington, just like Curt Cignetti used to in Tuscaloosa. Simply put, all the pressure is on Indiana, while Alabama can just play loose...
Indiana may have the easier side of the bracket to navigate, but drawing Alabama first up is so brutal.
Indiana must be totally locked in when Alabama comes to the Rose Bowl
Entering play, Indiana opened up as a 6.5-point neutral-site favorite over Alabama. This seems fair, and totally justifiable. Indiana has been the most consistently strong team in the sport of college football all season long. Alabama has had some incredibly high highs, including handing Georgia its first loss Between the Hedges in over half a decade, as well as Friday night's impressive win over OU.
However, this team also lost to a five-win Florida State team... So no, the Crimson Tide are far from a perfect team. They cannot run the football for the life of them. The offense often asks too much of Ty Simpson to make chicken salad out of chicken mess. Unfortunately for Indiana, the Hoosiers have not really played a team like Alabama this year. It is such a dangerous team, especially when it is doubted.
Overall, Indiana should win this game because it has been the better team throughout the season. That being said, Alabama is capable of hanging tough in a shootout, whereas scoring 30 points on offense would usually knock Oklahoma out of a ballgame, given its inherent limitations. Again, Indiana should win this game by a touchdown, but it cannot afford to play with its food for even one second...
Look no further than how Oklahoma spontaneously combusted in critical spots to lose to Alabama...