Alabama has advanced past the first round of the College Football Playoff and will face Indiana on New Year’s Day. The Crimson Tide will return to the Rose Bowl, and excitement is definitely high among fans. However, the 11-3 Alabama will face a tough test, having never played Indiana before.
The Hoosiers will enter the game coming off a first-round bye in the CFP, having an undefeated 13-0 record and the title of Big Ten champions.
Former Alabama Star Predicts Alma Mater to Shock College Football Against Indiana
Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama advanced to the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff after overcoming a 17-point deficit on the road against Brent Venables’ Oklahoma in the first round. The Crimson Tide’s 34-24 win on Dec. 19 snapped a two-game losing streak against the Sooners.
Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron expressed confidence that his alma mater could beat Indiana as well.
“I think this is a great matchup for Alabama,” McCarron said in his “The Dynasty” podcast on Saturday. “I’ve said it since the rankings came out that I think Alabama has had the best draw out of this whole deal. I think, facing Oklahoma, you get by that challenge, and then facing Indiana.”
“I understand Indiana is a great team, great program. (Curt) Cignetti is doing a great job, but I think Alabama matches up well with them. I think this fits the style they want to play. And, I really liked this draw. I think Bama has a chance to shock the college football world and knock off the No. 1 seed.”
Alabama and Indiana will meet on Thursday, 13 days after Alabama’s win over Oklahoma, giving the Crimson Tide time to rest and recover. However, concerns remain about Alabama’s running game, which produced only 28 yards against Oklahoma and had -3 yards in their 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship on Dec. 6.
Former Georgia defensive lineman David Pollack predicted that Indiana could exploit this weakness. While previewing Alabama’s game against Indiana on the “See Ball Get Ball” podcast on Friday, Pollack had a brutal answer on the Crimson Tide’s potential success in the run game.
“I don’t think it’s possible,” Pollack said (4:30). “And Alabama fans get mad at me sometimes because I tell the truth, and they don’t like that. They think I’m somehow talking against them. Does Alabama on the offensive line have a talent problem? Do they have untalented guys? Do they have small, tiny guys?”
“They are big physical dudes that should be able to move me. They should be able to move people. It doesn’t make sense. The lack of toughness and physicality on the offensive line doesn’t make sense.”
Indiana ranks No. 2 in the PFSN College Football Offense Metric this season with an A grade and 93 rating, while Alabama is No. 24 with a B grade and 83.6 rating. Most predictions list DeBoer’s squad as the underdog, but last season’s CFP quarterfinals were full of upsets, and the same could happen this year as well.
