Coming into the Rose Bowl, College Football Playoff teams coming off the first-round bye were winless. This potentially interesting discussion point set the stage for a matchup in Pasadena between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Indiana Hoosiers.
Early on, it looked like that long layoff had an impact on the Hoosiers’ offense. Fernando Mendoza was sacked twice on the game-opening drive as the Crimson Tide defense came out firing. After that, however, Indiana showed why they are the best team in college football.
Let’s dive into the winners and losers from the Rose Bowl, a dominant 38-3 Indiana victory over Alabama.
Winner: Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana Hoosiers
On his first two dropbacks of the Rose Bowl, Mendoza was sacked twice for 13 yards lost, and the Hoosiers’ offense went three-and-out. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner then completed 14 of his next 16 passes, racking up 192 passing yards (12.0 yards per attempt) and three touchdowns. He stood tall in the pocket, delivering precision strikes to Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper Jr., and Elijah Sarratt for scores, all before the midway point of the third quarter. Already projected to be the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Mendoza performed like he is already a multi-year starter in the NFL.
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Loser: Alabama Crimson Tide Offensive Line
From watching the Rose Bowl, you would have never thought the Hoosiers’ defense played without its best pass rusher. Indiana certainly deserves credit for its performance, but the Crimson Tide’s offensive line was also abysmal on Thursday. While Ty Simpson was never sacked, he lived under duress on nearly every other dropback as pressure just tore through Alabama’s line. Of course, as has been the theme with the Crimson Tide’s offense for a majority of the year, they also could not get anything going on the ground; a scramble by backup quarterback Austin Mack was the only reason Alabama finished the Rose Bowl with a run of over 10 yards. What once used to be a strength for this program has become an alarming weak link.
Winner: D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana Hoosiers
While it turned into a one-sided Rose Bowl, there was a moment where it seemed like Alabama might make a game of it. Late in the second quarter, on 3rd-and-7, Simpson scrambled for a first down and moved the ball to the Hoosiers’ 42-yard line. That is where Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds delivered a crushing hit, popping the football loose, and it was recovered by teammate Isaiah Jones. The Hoosiers seized on that moment with an 11-play, 58-yard touchdown drive to take a 17–0 lead into the half. It felt over from that point on.
Loser: Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference: it just means more losses in big games. Coming into the College Football Playoff, there were five SEC teams in the field. After Saturday, only one will be left standing. To make matters worse for the so-called best conference in college football, following the Rose Bowl, SEC teams are now 3–7 in bowl games this year. That is a worse record than the Sun Belt, which currently sits at 3–6.
Winner: Indiana Hoosiers Offensive Line
It is silly how one-sided this game was in the trenches. After Alabama used the blitz to sack Mendoza twice on the opening drive, it is as if the Hoosiers’ offensive line took that personally. It showed up both in the run game, where Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby rushed for nearly 200 yards combined with a touchdown apiece, and in the fact that Mendoza was kept clean. What stood out particularly was how this offensive line held up against the blitz after that first drive; all three of Mendoza’s passing touchdowns came against the blitz, and the front five provided him ample time to throw deep. Indiana looked like the SEC powerhouse in the Rose Bowl, and it is truly remarkable that saying that does not even feel surprising anymore.
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Loser: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama Crimson Tide Head Coach
For the first time since 2006–07, the Crimson Tide have lost four or more games in consecutive seasons. A defeat in the Rose Bowl against the No. 1-ranked Hoosiers is not necessarily an issue, but the fact that the Hoosiers treated the Crimson Tide like a Group of Five team certainly is. Kalen DeBoer’s squad was bullied all over the field, struggling to put up as many total yards in the game as Indiana did in a single half. Saying Alabama fans are extremely passionate would be the understatement of the century; expectations for this program are absurd. Given consecutive four-loss seasons and being embarrassed on national television in the Rose Bowl, DeBoer might start feeling the level of uncomfortable pressure and scrutiny that eventually leads to him leaving of his own accord a year from now.
