Why Cam Newton gives Alabama an edge over Indiana

ESPN’s Cam Newton feels Alabama football could have a psychological  advantage over Indiana ahead of the two going at it in the Rose Bowl.

The Crimson Tide defeated Oklahoma Friday to advance to the second round of the College Football Playoff to play the Hoosiers. Indiana earned a BYE in the first round of the playoff as the No. 1 overall seed.

Newton feels no one is ‘losing sleep’ over playing the Hoosiers.

“I mean, let’s have the honest conversation,” Newton said on “ESPN’s First Take.” “I think nobody’s losing sleep or everybody has this type of idea when you start to say, “Oh my God, we’re playing Indiana.” But there’s some people, that’s going to lose sleep because the thought process of saying, “Hey, we gotta play Alabama.” Even with this type of Alabama team, Alabama always has a brand of physicality to other conferences that is not matched until they go against somebody from the SEC… When you start to say how Big Ten teams play even with the Heisman Trophy winner in Mendoza, there’s nothing really about Indiana that will be the theme of the game outside that they probably are the team that is coached the best in all of college football. But that’s it. On what top to bottom metrics, when we know how many five stars Alabama seems to garner year in and year out, and how many five stars Indiana does not have. Will that be something that will be the difference in a game like this? Because it’s the ground, it’s the pound, it’s the physicality, it’s the girth, it’s all type of things that you have to say looking to from the microscopic lens to give Alabama the edge over a team like an Indiana.”

New Year’s Day will mark the first time Alabama and Indiana have ever played in football.