Indiana defeated Alabama by a 38–3 score, winning their first Rose Bowl in school history and first bowl game in 34 years.[4] It was also their first major bowl game win in school history, as well as their first College Football Playoff game victory in school history.
The broadcasters are responsible for selecting the MVPs of the Rose Bowl. Color commentatorKirk Herbstreit of ESPN initially sought to give the Offensive MVP award to Indiana's entire offensive line but was told he could not. Herbstreit therefore chose to give the award to centerPat Coogan, who he considered to be representative of "kind of the anchor" of the unit.[5]
The start of the game was one hour earlier than its traditional start time of 2 p.m. (local time), to avoid schedule conflict with the Sugar Bowl, in a change expected to carry forward to future editions.[6]Magic Johnson, the Rose Parade grand marshal, attended the pre-game coin toss.
Background
The 2026 Rose Bowl was a quarterfinal game for the 2025–26 College Football Playoff (CFP). Indiana, being one of the top four teams in the final CFP rankings, received a bye in the playoff format and was selected to play in a quarterfinal game, the Rose Bowl.[7][8]
Alabama, the number 9 seed in the tournament, defeated Oklahoma, the number 8 seed, in the first round, 34–24, to advance to this game.[9]
The winning team advanced to the CFP semifinals, to face the winner of the Orange Bowl in the Peach Bowl.[10]
Offensive MVP Pat Coogan prepares to snap the ball for Indiana during the 2026 Rose Bowl
This was the second-ever appearance in the Rose Bowl for the Hoosiers, following the 1968 edition, which they lost to eventual national champion USC.[8] Indiana entered the game as the Big Ten Conference champions with a 13–0 record (9–0 in conference), their first conference title since 1967.[13]
This was the Crimson Tide's ninth Rose Bowl appearance, with a 5–2–1 record in prior games. Their last appearance came in the 2024 edition, an overtime loss to eventual national champion Michigan, which was Nick Saban’s final game as Alabama head coach. Alabama entered this game with an 11–3 record following its 34–24 first-round win over Oklahoma. This game marked the 100-year anniversary of Alabama’s first trip to the Rose Bowl—in the 1926 edition, they defeated Washington, 20–19, to claim the school's first national championship.
Weather was forecast to be an issue for the game, with the greater Pasadena area experiencing prolonged rainfall starting on Tuesday, December 30 through noontime on gameday. The morning Rose Parade experienced downpours. However, rain stopped by game time and careful field maintenance prevented traction issues during the game. Sunshine was visible by the end of the game, but clouds obscured the view of the traditional sunset.
To protect the field both marching bands performed both their pre-game and halftime routines from the stands. All other on-field pregame entertainment prior to the coin toss was cancelled. The traditional pregame flyover, featuring a B-2 bomber, was delayed to the start of the third quarter.
Alabama won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. Receiving the first half kickoff, Indiana went three-and-out on the first drive, with Alabama recording two sacks of Hoosier quarterbackFernando Mendoza. Alabama gained two first downs on its first drive but stalled at the Indiana 41-yard line and punted. The Hoosiers responded with a 16-play, 84 yard drive that occupied nearly nine minutes, but did not reach the end zone; Nico Radicic kicked a 31-yard field goal for a 3–0 lead on the first play of the second quarter.[citation needed]
The Crimson Tide gained nine yards on the first three plays of their subsequent drive to set up a 4th and 1 on their own 34-yard line. Initially, Alabama kept its offense on the field before Indiana called a timeout. Next, Alabama lined up in punt formation with the unusual feature of Ty Simpson, the Alabama quarterback, lining up as a personal protector, before quickly shifting the formation to move Simpson under center. Alabama appeared to use the sudden change in formation in an attempt to draw Indiana offsides, but was unsuccessful and called a timeout before the expiration of the play clock. After the second timeout, Alabama brought its offense back on the field and ran a sweep to the left side, but Indiana stopped Germie Bernard short of the line to gain and took over possession. Indiana was penalized 10 yards for holding on the drive's first play, but running back Roman Hemby gained 21 yards on 1st down and 20 for the first down. Three plays later, on 3rd down and 8, Mendoza found receiver Charlie Becker over the middle for a leaping 21-yard touchdown catch to stretch the Indiana lead to 10–0 with 10:49 remaining in the first half. After both teams traded punts, Alabama faced 3rd down and 7 from its own 49 yard line. Simpson scrambled to gain first down yardage but Indiana defensive backD'Angelo Ponds delivered a hit to Simpson's back side, forcing a fumble that Indiana recovered. The Hoosiers then drove 58 yards in 11 plays, ending in Mendoza's one-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. just before the half to give the Hoosiers 17–0 advantage at halftime.[citation needed]
Alabama received the kickoff to start the second half and went three-and-out. Indiana then drove 79 yards in 10 plays, scoring a touchdown on a 24-yard deep pass from Mendoza to receiver Elijah Surratt down the left sideline on 3rd down and 1, to make the score 24–0. Before Alabama's next drive, Simpson was replaced by backup quarterback Austin Mack due to a cracked rib he received on the hit by Ponds earlier in the game[14]. Mack completed his first five passes, including completions of 30 and 16 yards, as he drove the Crimson Tide to the Indiana 5-yard line. However, a completion for a loss of five yards and an incompletion caused Alabama to settle for a 28-yard field goal from Conor Talty, cutting the margin to 24–3. The Hoosiers scored touchdowns on each of their next two drives, sandwiched around an Alabama punt: the first score came on a 25-yard run from Kaelon Black, and the next came on an 18-yard run from Hemby, to give the Hoosiers an insurmountable 38–3 lead. Alabama led a final 11-play drive that ended in a fourth-down sack by Indiana; then, Hoosier backup quarterback Alberto Mendoza relieved his brother Fernando and led the Hoosiers on a nine-play drive to run out the last 5:40 of the game.[citation needed]
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