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ESPN News Services
Jan 1, 2026, 07:31 PM ET
PASADENA, Calif. -- On a rain-soaked field that did not slow down the nation's top team, Fernando Mendoza completed 14 of 16 passes for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns, as the Indiana Hoosiers cruised past the Alabama Crimson Tide 38-3 in the Rose Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Top-seeded Indiana (14-0) won its first CFP game in school history, and will face Oregon in college football's final four. The Hoosiers will continue their quest for the first national title in school history when they play in a rematch against the Ducks in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9. Indiana outlasted Oregon 30-20 on Oct. 11.
"Fernando, like everybody else, just has to execute," Indiana coach Curt Cignetti told ESPN's Holly Rowe just before kickoff. Mendoza did just that, adding 16 rushing yards on eight carries, for the Big Ten Conference champions.
Alabama, which defeated Oklahoma in Round 1 to advance to the CFP quarterfinals, ended its season at 11-4. The Crimson Tide lost two of their last three games, including the SEC title game to Georgia.
In the Rose Bowl, Indiana scored the game's first 24 points before pouring it on with fourth-quarter rushing TDs from Kaelon Black and Roman Hemby, capping a jubilant win in the 112th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All.
Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt caught TD passes, while Black rushed for 99 yards. Indiana outgained Alabama 407-193, steadily delighting a decidedly pro-Indiana crowd that celebrated its long-struggling team's first Rose Bowl game appearance since 1968 with chants of "Hoosier Daddy?" in the final minutes.
"Coach Cignetti has hit on us, 'no complacency.' Especially when you have a bye, it's tough to get into the rhythm of football," Mendoza said in his postgame, on-field interview with Rowe. "But once we got our feet on the ground, we knew that we were going to stick together and come out with this W."
Indiana had not won a bowl game since the Copper Bowl in 1991, but history has been no match for Cignetti and his dominant Hoosiers during the coach's two transcendent seasons.
Indiana became the first team to advance following a first-round bye in the current 12-team playoff format. The first six bye teams -- including the first two this season -- couldn't come back strong from an extra-long layoff, but the Hoosiers took care of business while improving to 25-2 under Cignetti.
"Looking forward to the flight home," Cignetti said after the win, "and a day off tomorrow."
The Crimson Tide's second season under Kalen DeBoer ended in the same venue as their final season under Nick Saban two years ago. Alabama was outclassed one week after an impressive road win over Oklahoma, managing just 151 yards Thursday before the meaningless final minutes of this blowout.
Ty Simpson passed for 67 yards before backup Austin Mack replaced him in the third quarter. Mack immediately got the Tide rolling on a 65-yard drive, leading to a short field goal, but the Hoosiers responded with two unstoppable TD drives.
The victory is the latest step in the monumental two-season turnaround of what was the losingest program in college football when Cignetti took charge. After winning 11 games and reaching the CFP last season, the Hoosiers steamrolled through their schedule this fall before beating defending national champion Ohio State for the Big Ten title and ascending to the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 for the first time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
