Indiana Hoosiers

Alabama’s national championships in 2010 and 2015 are turning into the proving grounds for the coaches who will play for this month’s national championship. Indiana pasted Oregon last night in the Peach Bowl 56 to 22. That sets up a showdown in Miami between the Hoosiers and the Hurricanes between former assistants of retired Alabama coach Nick Saban.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal gathered his offensive linemen together during a pressure-packed, fourth-quarter drive in the Fiesta Bowl and delivered a message to the big, beefy guys he knows so well. You five are about to lead the way for the winning touchdown.Before last night’s college football semi final against Ole Miss, Cristobal thought back on his days at Alabama and the impact working for Saban had on his career

Multiple published reports state that Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson intends to declare for the 2026 NFL draft. The University of Alabama junior just ended a problematic season with the Crimson Tide being shellacked in the Rose Bowl by number one ranked Indiana. The Hoosiers will play in the Peach Bowl Friday to see if the team can advance to the college football championship.

The head coaches in the College football championship semifinals all have one thing in common. All four of them once worked for Alabama’s retired head coach Nick Saban.

Number one ranked Indiana became the first team in the brief history of the 12-team College Football Playoff to win a game after receiving a first-round bye, smothering Alabama 38-3 in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Thursday. Fans of the Crimson Tide may be seeking solace with social media posts on how all of the coaches playing for the semi-finals, and the college football title, all worked as assistants for retired Alabama coach Nick Saban. That list doesn’t include the Tide’s Kalen DeBoer.

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.

Sportswriters have no end of Rose Bowl story lines as the Crimson Tide prepares to face Indiana (for the first time ever—one more angle.) Observers didn’t know that when Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe was stopped on a fourth down in overtime by Michigan in 2023 that Nick Saban had coached his final game for Alabama.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti believes his four seasons working with Nick Saban helped him learn how to prioritize organization, avoid complacency and maintain high standards. In fact, Cignetti thinks it's a primary reason he's preparing for his first Rose Bowl as a head coach. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer feels similarly about the one season he spent at Indiana.

Alabama and Indiana couldn't have more different football histories. This Indiana team couldn't be more unlike the program's painful past. Alabama will play No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 in a national quarterfinal matchup between a blue blood and the ultimate upstart. Alabama is one of the most successful programs in college football, with six national titles this century. Indiana has never won a New Year’s Six game and has no bowl victories since 1991.