The Day The Mystique Died: Indiana’s Rose Bowl Rout Of Alabama Changes Everything
If you told me three years ago that I’d be sitting here writing a column about Indiana, yes, that Indiana, the basketball school, absolutely dismantling the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl, I would have asked you to share whatever you were drinking. But here we are, on New Year’s Day 2026, staring at a scoreboard that reads 38-3, and honestly?
The score doesn’t even do justice to the beatdown we just witnessed in Pasadena.The “mystique” of Alabama? As Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti famously quipped earlier this week, his guys didn’t care about it. They only cared about the tape. And the tape showed a team that was ready to run the table.
The Moment the Tide Turned
Let’s be real: this game was over before halftime. The turning point didn’t come on a Hail Mary or a pick-six. It came on a decision that smelled of desperation from the Alabama sideline. Early in the second quarter, facing a 4th-and-1 deep in their own territory, Kalen DeBoer rolled the dice.
He went for a Wildcat pop-pass that fooled absolutely no one. The Hoosiers swallowed it up. It was the kind of play-call you make when you don’t trust your offensive line to get a yard, or your defense to hold up. Indiana took over, and moments later, Fernando Mendoza found Charlie Becker for a 21-yard strike.
From that moment on, you could feel the air leave the Crimson Tide section of the Rose Bowl. And speaking of sections, let’s talk about the crowd. Indiana fans outnumbered Alabama fans significantly. The “Crimson” in the stadium was mostly Hoosier red. That alone should have told us something was brewing.
Mendoza and the Heisman Swagger
We have to talk about Fernando Mendoza. The kid transferred from Cal, walked into Bloomington, won a Heisman, and just treated Nick Saban’s old dynasty like an FCS tune-up game. He finished 14-of-16 for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Efficient? Yes. But it was the way he played.
He wasn’t scared of the logo on the helmet across from him. He stood in the pocket, delivered darts, and looked like he was having the time of his life. When he hit Elijah Sarratt for that 24-yard touchdown to make it 24-0 in the third, you could practically hear the TV sets clicking off in Tuscaloosa.
Meanwhile, Alabama’s Ty Simpson had a nightmare afternoon. He took a beating, looked rattled, and eventually had to leave the game with a lower back injury after a fumble. You almost felt bad for the guy, watching him try to spark something against a defense that refused to give an inch. Austin Mack came in to clean up the mess, but by then, the party was already starting on the Indiana sideline.
Cignetti’s Blueprint vs. The Ghost of Saban
Curt Cignetti told everyone to “Google Me” when he took the job. Well, nobody needs to use a search engine anymore to figure out who runs the Big Ten. He has built a machine that plays disciplined, complementary football. They don’t beat themselves. They don’t panic. And they hit you in the mouth.
On the flip side, Alabama looks like a program in an identity crisis. This is Alabama’s largest loss since 2000. Let that sink in. For two decades, this team was the Death Star. Today? They looked like just another squad hoping for a lucky break. The discipline wasn’t there. The execution wasn’t there. And frankly, the fear factor is gone.
What’s Next: The Oregon Rematch
So, the Indiana Hoosiers move on to the CFP Semifinals to face Oregon. If you recall, Indiana already walked into Eugene and punched the Ducks in the mouth earlier this season. Can they do it again with a spot in the National Championship on the line?
After watching them turn the Rose Bowl into a glorified scrimmage against Alabama, I’m done betting against Curt Cignetti. The basketball school is dead. Long live the football powerhouse.
