Blowout loss to Indiana is proof Alabama never deserved to be in College Football Playoff

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Blowout loss to Indiana is proof Alabama never deserved to be in College Football Playoff

Steve Silverman, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Sat, Jan 3, 2026 ·

5 min read

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The Alabama Crimson Tide had some kind of divine help when the 12 teams that were selected to compete in the College Football Playoffs were revealed in early December.

No doubt that Kalen DeBoer had a good team but the Crimson Tide was not a great unit by any stretch. At the time of their selection, Alabama already had 3 losses and that should have been all the committee needed to eliminate the Crimson Tide from consideration.

But Alabama was invited to participate over Notre Dame, a team that had lost its first 2 games but had since won 10 consecutive games. The two losses that the Fighting Irish had suffered came in September to highly ranked Miami and Texas A&M. Both were games that Notre Dame could have won, but they lost by a field goal to Miami (27-24) and a single point to the Aggies (41-40).

Alabama had lost its season opener to Florida State, suffered a narrow defeat to Oklahoma in mid-November and were pummeled by Georgia in the SEC title game. Somehow, the committee decided not to let that defeat influence the selection of the Crimson Tide.

Fighting Irish would have been more deserving than Tide

MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

There was ample evidence that Notre Dame was the better and more consistent team, but Alabama has been the dominant program in college football history. That could have had something to do with their selection although but that would never be acknowledged.

Alabama attempted to quiet the critics — and Notre Dame supporters — with a revenge victory over Oklahoma in the first round of the CFP. The Crimson Tide was on the road and in danger of getting blown out after falling behind by a 17-0 margin. Instead, head coach Kalen DeBoer saw his team rally for a 34-24 victory.

Ty Simpson had kept his cool after falling behind and he completed 18 of 29 passes for 232 yards with 2 TDs and keeping it clean on the interception side of the ledger. Speedy wideout Lotzeir Brooks caught 5 passes for 79 yards and 2 TDs.

As a result, Alabama had confidence as it prepared to play the Indiana Hoosiers . While Alabama had been the dominant program in all of college football, Indiana's history was among the least accomplished. The Hoosiers had been co-champions of the Big Ten in 1967 and had just one Rose Bowl appearance, and that game was a 14-3 loss to USC on New Year's Day in 1968.

Alabama was non-competitive against Indiana

History may have been on Alabama's side, but the Hoosiers were the much better team. They pinned the worst bowl defeat on Alabama in the history of the program.

Indiana rolled to a 38-3 triumph, and it appeared that Alabama was in major trouble from the start. The Hoosiers were faster, more decisive, more skilled and hit harder throughout the game. It was the kind of blowout that was shocking to the fans of both teams. The idea that the Hoosiers could manhandle the Crimson Tide in one of the most important games of the year was beyond the realm of comprehension for long-time college football fans and historians.

Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds provided one of the signature moments of the game when he blasted Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. Ponds was moving like a small missile when he delivered a stunning blow that forced a fumble and cracked one of Simpson's ribs as the quarterback attempted to scramble.

"That was such an explosive two-step hit too," said Indiana defensive backs coach Ola Adams , per The Athletic . "He just exploded into the guy. I'm not surprised. I know he's small, but he plays big. He always steps up and makes big plays for us. And that was a big play."

Indiana recovered the fumble and was able to extend its 10-0 lead to 17-0 when Fernando Mendoza threw his second TD pass of the game to Omar Cooper.

No hint of Alabama rally in second half of blowout loss

Alabama went to the locker room with the same deficit it had at Oklahoma in the first round, but there would be no rally. If DeBoer had any words to rally his team, none of them worked. Instead, it was Cignetti's speech that had the most impact as the two teams prepared for the second half.

He told his team not to look at the 17-0 lead it had on the scoreboard. Instead, he told his players that the score was 0-0 and they had to win the second half.

That was enough for the Indiana players, who won the second half by a 21-3 margin and dominated the key statistics. The Hoosiers held a 34:21-25:39 advantage in time of possession, a 22-11 edge in first downs, a 410-193 dominance in total yards and a shocking 218-23 advantage in rushing yards.

Numbers like that were inconceivable in the Nick Saban era. Alabama did not belong in the College Football Playoff and it was confirmed by the team's lack of fire against the Hoosiers.

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