Boasting the Heisman Trophy winner for the first time in school history and winning the Big 10 title for the first time in almost a century, Indiana heads into Round 2 of the CFP against a program that dominated the college football landscape for much of the past 15 years.

The Gameline

On paper, Alabama should dominate the Hoosiers; then again, the same thing was said prior to Indiana taking on Ohio State in the Big Ten title contest. Except for quarterback and running back, Alabama is superior to Indiana at every other position on the field. The significant difference lies in coaching; Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer is a skilled coach. The Hoosiers’ Curt Cignetti is a once-in-a-generation head coach who has won at every level of college football, often with inferior talent.

The Crimson Tide has struggled to run the ball for most of the season, largely due to injuries. This means Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson was forced to shoulder much of the offensive burden, which he did exceptionally well until the last month of the season. Simpson did a great job in the second half during the first-round playoff contest against the Sooners. It will be interesting to see which Ty Simpson shows up on New Year’s Day: the passer who cut through opponents the first two months of the season and carried Alabama to victory over Oklahoma, or the signal caller who looked like a deer in headlights during the month of November?

Indiana is well-balanced on both sides of the ball. They play tough, opportunistic football and rarely make mistakes. Cignetti gets the maximum from his players and is truly a no-nonsense coach.

The Rose Bowl is a fascinating game that can go either way and turn on a dime.

Top Stories

Sean Payton Announces Retirement Plans as Broncos HC Demands Improvement From Bo Nix & Co. Before Playoffs

Greg Biffle’s $4M Worth Prized Possession Still Without a Buyer Leaves NASCAR Fans Heartbroken

LIV Golf Braces for Another Possible Exit in Wake of Brooks Koepka Departure

Biff Poggi All But Confirms Bryce Underwood’s Michigan Future After Announcing His Own Departure

Roger Federer Draws Criticism from Swiss Government Chief for Tourism Boom in Country

NASCAR World Mourns as Former Watkins Glen President Michael Printup Passes Away at 60

Prospect with the most to gain

Alabama’s left tackle, Kadyn Proctor, entered the season with high grades, as scouts stamped him with a mid-first-round prospect. And while he’s flashed that ability at times, Proctor also struggled this season. He shows a lot of stiffness in his game, struggles to adjust, and gets beaten off the edge by speed rushers.

Indiana owes much of their victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten title game to its pass rush, which made Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin very uncomfortable in the pocket. The Hoosiers blitzed, ran stunts up front, and confused the Buckeyes’ offensive line.

Expect much of the same in the Rose Bowl.

Hoosiers pass rusher Mikail Kamara measures just over six feet tall, barely weighs 260 pounds, and is not a super athlete. Yet he plays with a nonstop motor and has terrorized opponents the past two seasons. His statistics are not great, as Kamara was credited with five TFLs, just a single sack, and four hurries this past season, but he’s omnipresent behind the line of scrimmage and makes plays in any direction.

Proctor struggles with handling defenders or schemes that use a lateral movement, which is exactly what Indiana does. Few believe he will stay at left tackle on Sundays. Some think he’s a guard rather than a tackle, and a few predict Proctor will fall out of the first round.

The ability to handle the stunts and blitzes Indiana’s defense uses, as well as Kamara, will be telling for Proctor.

Underrated Prospect

Hoosiers linebacker Aiden Fisher entered the season graded as a late-round pick by scouts who are concerned about his size (six feet and 232 pounds) and projection to the next level. Yet the tape tells a completely different story.

Fisher finished second on the Hoosiers’ defense with 77 tackles while adding seven TFLs and breaking up five passes. He’s a great combination of instincts, intensity and preparation. The senior flies around the action, works hard to make plays, and sells out defending the run while getting terrific depth on drops in pass coverage.

While Alabama has struggled running the ball this season, it has a terrific short and intermediate passing game, much of which will take place in front of Fisher. Crimson Tide tight end Josh Cuevas has played incredibly well as of late despite dealing with an injury, and he has 16 receptions in the past four games. Fisher will have to match up against Cuevas while keeping an eye on the Alabama running game.

In the end, Fisher has done enough this season to get mid-round consideration in April’s draft.

Prospect I expect to have the biggest game

D’Angelo Ponds is the little train that could. The Indiana cornerback barely measures 5-foot-9 (if he’s even that tall) and 170 pounds, yet he plays big-time football. He possesses next-level ball skills that compare with any top cornerback slated to be available in April’s draft. His statistics included a modest one interception and seven pass breakups, yet like many of his defensive teammates, Ponds is constantly around the action, making positive plays.

Against Ohio State, he shut down the Buckeyes’ lethal pass-catching duo of Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, both of whom are expected to be high picks over the next two drafts, and had a six-inch advantage on Ponds.

The task won’t be any easier for Ponds against Alabama.

Germie Bernard is a polished pass catcher known for the big play who measures over six feet tall. Bernard caught six passes for 62 yards against Georgia in the SEC title game, then followed it up with a three-catch, 40-yard performance during the Tide’s Round 1 victory over Oklahoma. Bernard’s teammate, Isaiah Horton, who was graded by scouts as a second-round prospect before the season, has played well as of late, catching 11 passes in the past three games.

If Ponds were six inches taller, he’d be graded as the top cornerback in the draft and a top-10 selection. Yet despite his small frame, Ponds continually comes up big for the Indiana defense.