Once dubbed by legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson as “The Granddaddy of them All,” the Rose Bowl has changed dramatically in recent years — a reflection of college football as a whole. While it no longer features the best of the Big Ten and the Pac-12, it’s still one of the most anticipated events on the college football calendar every year as an annual site for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.
What hasn’t changed is the time the game is played, or the beautiful setting. Also, as luck would have it, the Big Ten champion will play in the game this year, with the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers squaring off against No. 9 Alabama.
This is Indiana’s second straight season reaching the College Football Playoff, and the Hoosiers are hoping it goes better than last year when they lost a first-round game at Notre Dame. Alabama did not make the 12-team field last season, but is a playoff regular, and came back from a 17-0 deficit to beat No. 8 Oklahoma in the first round.
It’s the first matchup between these two schools with very different backgrounds, and the winner will move on to face the winner of the Orange Bowl in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9. With inclement weather conditions expected at the 2026 Rose Bowl, a rarity for this legendary game, anything is on the table.
Follow along with live updates and analysis as Indiana faces Alabama in the 2026 Rose Bowl Game.
Alabama vs. Indiana: Need to know for Rose Bowl
This is the first time Indiana will play a game as the No. 1 team in the country: When the Hoosiers beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship it didn’t just result in their first Big Ten championship since 1967, it moved them to No. 1 in the CFP poll as well as the AP Top 25. It’s the first time in history the Hoosiers have been No. 1 in the AP poll, which means that when they take the field in Pasadena, it’ll be the first time they’ve played a game as the No. 1 team in the country. How ironic that it comes against the program that’s been considered the most dominant of the BCS and playoff era?
Alabama has been to more Rose Bowls than Indiana: The SEC has never had a tie-in with the Rose Bowl, but this will be Alabama’s ninth appearance in the game. The Tide were last here for a College Football Playoff semifinal against Michigan on New Year’s Day of 2024, losing to the Wolverines. They also won a Rose Bowl during the 2020 College Football Playoff. Their last trip to the game that wasn’t a playoff appearance was in 1945, which was one of their six appearances from 1926 to 1946.
Fernando Mendoza is the first Heisman winner in Indiana program history: Given Indiana’s lack of overall success in football, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy this year after leading the Hoosiers to an undefeated season and a Big Ten title. It’s his first year with Indiana, as he began his college football career at California before transferring to the Big Ten. It seems the move was a wise decision on Mendoza’s part.
Where to watch Alabama vs. Indiana live
Date: Thursday, Jan. 1 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: The Rose Bowl — Pasadena, California
TV: ESPN | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Alabama vs. Indiana prediction, picks
The total for this one feels a little low. I’m not expecting a shootout, but I do believe both offenses are capable of moving the ball against these opposing defenses. Oklahoma probably should’ve scored more than it did against Alabama in the first round, and while Indiana’s defense has been exceptional, it has been prone to allowing explosive passes this season, which is an area Alabama thrives. Won’t be a shootout, but it won’t be a rock fight, either. Pick: Over 48.5
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