Indiana to attempt to stop increasing trend in playoff against Alabama

Indiana will be tasked with stopping a growing trend in the College Football Playoff when it takes on Alabama in the Rose Bowl.

Teams that received a first-round BYE in the 12-team playoff are now 0-5 after Miami beat Ohio State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. This trend started a year ago in the inaugural 12-team playoff during the 2024-2025 season.

This interesting development will undoubtedly be a point of concern for college football coaches in the future with the time off before the College Football Playoff quarterfinals appearing to put teams at a disadvantage when they go up against teams with games under their belt in the first round.

Ohio State last played in a football game on Dec. 6 before taking on the Hurricanes on Dec. 31. There was a little over three weeks between the Big Ten Championship game and the playoff quarterfinals. Miami was coming off a win over Texas A&M on the road on Dec. 20 a little over a week earlier while riding a wave of momentum.

Indiana finds itself in a similar spot against the Crimson Tide. The Hoosiers last played against the Buckeyes on Dec. 6, making it 26 days since Curt Cignetti’s squad has touched the field for a game.  Alabama last played on Dec. 19 when the Tide stormed back to beat Oklahoma on the road.

Alabama and Indiana will play for a spot in the playoff semifinals in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. CST.