Indiana football’s Rose Bowl matchup is set.
The top-seeded Hoosiers will take on No. 9 seed Alabama in Pasadena, Calif. on New Year’s Day in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The Crimson Tide took down No. 8 Oklahoma, 34-24, on Friday night in Norman, Okla. in the CFP first round.
Alabama (11-3) trailed 17-0 early in the second quarter, but scored 24 unanswered points to flip the game around. Oklahoma (10-3) lost its lead by halftime, and then recorded only 27 yards of offense against the Tide defense in the third quarter. OU won this matchup in the regular season in Tuscaloosa, Ala., but Alabama got revenge with much more at stake.
This will be the first-ever meeting between IU and Alabama. But the programs do have some connections. Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer served as IU’s offensive coordinator under Tom Allen in 2019. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack spent 2018-2020 in Bloomington, coaching linebackers for all three with added defensive coordinator duties in the last two seasons. Defensive backs coach Jason Jones was IU’s safeties coach from 2020-2022. Co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan was Indiana’s quarterbacks coach from 2017-18, tight ends coach in 2019, and offensive coordinator and QB coach from 2020-21. Director of Sports Performance David Ballou spent two years at IU before going to Alabama in 2020.
This is Indiana’s second Rose Bowl berth, but the Crimson Tide are regulars in Pasadena. This will be their ninth Rose Bowl appearance, and they’ve amassed a 5-2-1 record in the prestigious game. Alabama last played in “The Granddaddy of Them All” in January 2024 in the CFP semifinals, ultimately losing to eventual national champions Michigan.
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Instagram, X, and Facebook
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
