Alabama rallied from a 17-point deficit once in the College Football Playoff against Oklahoma, but there would not be a repeat performance against No. 1 Indiana in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. The Crimson Tide tried everything possible to stage a historic comeback on the site of so many memorable moments for the program.
The Rose Bowl was the site of the 1926 win that marked the arrival of southern football as a powerhouse on par with the rest of the country, to a 2024 overtime loss that would be legendary head coach Nick Saban's final game.
But, not even benching star quarterback Ty Simpson in the second half could provide a spark in a 38-3 loss to the Hoosiers. The cracks that had been evident throughout a tumultuous season, from the shock opening loss to Florida State that only got worse as the year went on to why Alabama (11-4; No. 11 AP, No. 9 CFP) found itself trailing by three scores against Oklahoma in the first round on Dec. 19, finally brought the inevitable conclusion for a talented, but flawed, team.
Without the benefit of any semblance of a running game, Simpson struggled to create big plays against Indiana's stout defense, going 12 of 16 for 67 yards and running for 17 yards with a lost fumble. The desperation to keep up with Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza had Alabama going for it on fourth down from its own 34 early in the second quarter, leading to an odd Wildcat pop pass that was stopped short.
Austin Mack, who followed head coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington to Alabama before the 2024 season, took over late in the third quarter and managed a field goal on his first drive. That was as much as the third-year sophomore could muster, ending up 11 of 16 for 103 yards with three sacks.
The Rose Bowl thrashing at the hands of Indiana is already being called the worst defeat in modern Crimson Tide history. Other low points for the Alabama include the 2019 championship in the San Francisco Bay area where Clemson beat the Tide 44-16, and a a 77-0 defeat by Vanderbilt in 1906.
There's already speculation in the press on whether Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson will forgo declaring for the NFL draft, in favor of another year at Alabama to sharpen his game.
