Thursday afternoon the Granddaddy of Them All, the Rose Bowl, will host #1 Indiana and #8 Alabama with the winner heading to Mercedes Benz Stadium and the Peach Bowl. This game is a matchup of one of the worst college football programs against one of the bluest of blue bloods. Yes, I understand this game isn’t going to be won on tradition, but this is the biggest game in the history of Indiana football. Let’s get to the first look.
Series record: First meeting
Gambling degenerate facts: Caesar’s has Indiana as a 7 point favorite with a -250 on the moneyline and a point total of 48.0.
How should a refugee watch this game: A refugee can watch this game in one of 3 ways. First, you can watch this game with conference loyalty at top of mind given the amount of SEC ragebait over the last month. Second, you can watch this game in the hope of watching Bammer Nation meltdown for a loss that Bammers would believe beneath them. Third, you can watch with the hope that the 2 teams beat each other to a pulp. A combination of all 3 is probably where I am.
Interesting statistic: 109.9 and 221.1 (rushing yards per game)
Alabama’s challenges running the ball have been well documented throughout the season. You are who you are at this point on the calendar. Can the Tide win a game without really any meaningful running threat? Indiana has gaudy rushing stats piled up against the likes of Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, Indiana State, Illinois, UCLA, Maryland and Purdue. In their other 5 games, the Hoosiers rushed for over 4 yards per attempt once (Michigan State).
Early outlook: Is the moment too big for the Hoosiers? Can the Tide put together a game like the game in Athens earlier this season? Whoever answers that question favorably probably gets on a plane back east with a date in Atlanta against Oregon or Texas Tech. The team that doesn’t will be in for a will long winter of discontent.
Ty Simpson was every bit of the Heisman contender for the first half of the season as the eventual winner, Fernando Mendoza. If Indiana can’t get consistent pressure on Simpson, the Alabama receiving corps could make life miserable. On the other hand, if Alabama doesn’t control field position better and make Indiana one-dimensional, Finebaum on Friday could be must see TV.
I’m really on the fence about this one, but Alabama does have the athletes on both sides of the ball that could make life extremely difficult for Indiana and Indiana along get the luck they had in Indianapolis. I think Indiana gets it done but closer than the experts think.
Final Score: Indiana 23, Alabama 20
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
The weather forecast is for rain possibly lots it during game time. That usually doesn’t favor a pass first team. If it is played in heavy rain I’ll take Indiana the better running team. If not I think bama who has gotten healthier than they’ve been in a while finds a way to win.
Totally aside from football, imagine being an Indiana football fan and finally getting that Rose Bowl trip and you get the kind of weather that almost never happens in LA (thank God for the roof at SoFi!). That game is such an experience but a crappy weather day definitely would take a lot away from it. Grateful that we got a perfect one for a perfect game on 1/1/18.
We got shitty weather for the natty out there. About 53 and drizzling rain….
Pasadena was perfect.
You sure got that right it would have been miserable weather wise. Probably prevents the players from enjoying their chicken wings in the fourth quarter.
In SOFI we were down near the band and still occasionally got rain blown on us.
Whoever wins it will be worth it. As wonderful as the weather was in 2017 it would have felt very different with a loss. I’ll never forget that feeling in OT we’re going to the NC in Atlanta. Now that weather was a shit show stuck outside in freezing rain for two hours. With a very unhappy ending.
“Probably prevents the players from enjoying their chicken wings in the fourth quarter.” You brought back that side line memory. To me that was such a BOSS moment. UGA was cocky and badass and could back it all up. Thanks for that memory.
We were in the upper tier at SoFi. You could see the roof leaking in about thirty different places. The walk ways out of the stadium were slick with rain water. That “roof” was more of a suggestion than an accomplished fact. I saw 5 different people slip and hit the deck on the way out.
I have my doubts about Indiana holding up along the LOS. If Alabama is motivated, a big if for them of late, the Hoosiers could get run.
I have that same feeling going into this game. I don’t see Indiana coming in with a big head. I do see this game being too big for them. The bammers have been there and done that. This game will be won not by the morning Heisman trophy quarterback but rather at the LOS. The tide, I believe, has the advantage there. Give me bama pulling away after halftime.
Not sure how many Indiana games you watched this year, but their DL is legit and can handle Bama’s OL. The opposite side of the ball matchup is a tossup. My only question is how big a deal it will be for IU to lose their second best pass rusher for the game. But if Bama can’t throw due to the rain, it’s gonna be a long day for them anyway on offense. I could see a low scoring game. Indiana 21, Tide 14.
Zero of their defense. I watched the end of the game they won on the final play.
Typically, the problem you see with these upstarts from outside this region is that they are not used to seeing big men run that fast. You just can’t adjust to that during a football game. With time you can: see Missouri in 2012 vs the next two seasons.
My assumption would be that if they had LOS talent resembling SEC LOS talent they wouldn’t be playing very many close games in the Big Ten.
Happy to be wrong, but my guess is that if Alabama shows up right, they’ll just wear them down with their big fast guys.
If bama sleepwalks, as they’ve had a tendency to do from time to time of late, anything can happen.
I think Bama wins this 30-10. That’s based mostly on the aura of what Bama was during the Saban era, not who they are now, and my inability to perceive Indiana as a true contender despite what they’ve done during Cignetti’s tenure.
Contrary to what every IU fan will tell you, Cignetti did not invent football nor did he put the crack in the Liberty Bell. I think Bama wins a close one. They seemed to turn a corner against the Sooners that last game and look somewhat dangerous.
Hope they both lose, if I have to pull for one, has to be Bama. Guessing, Indiana wins
We can’t lose here. Either the sec shows dominance OR we get to laugh at bammer for shitting the bed vs a big ten team, again.
I don’t watch MAC-Action on Tuesday nights so I haven’t seen the Hoosiers play. Give me bama for a most undeserving win.
Guessing the Hoosiers shit their pants early in the biggest game in it’s programs history and fall behind. Bama hangs on for it’s life as IU makes it close at the end. Indiana has had a fine season but color me skeptical until they prove it outside of the B1G
What’s “conference loyalty”???
It used to be “SEC! SEC! SEC!”, but most of our fellow meme era have made me forget it.
Roll Tide!
+200 moneyline
Here’s some soap. Go wash your mouth out!
I don’t trust Indiana. I feel like they are a paper tiger and bammer is going to wipe their elephant hides with them. Bammer 27-13
I sure hope you’re right. With luck plenty of their fans show up with signs saying We Want Bama. That usually ends badly for the sign wavers.
I’m so sick of the national media saying how great they are. Already picking Indiana vs tOSU in the final.
I still don’t get why anOSU got the treatment they did. There were 2 conference champions that had the same record as they did. The committee should have dropped them to 4 with Georgia at 2 and TT at 3.
I don’t think Indiana has experienced the kind of speed the Bama defense is going to show them.
I’ve struggled to decide who I’m against (I’m not “for” either team) more in this one…I’ve settled on hoping Indiana loses and loses big…because I hate the B1G more than I do my neighbors to the west..(but I hate them both). I also hope Ohio State gets their arrogant asses handed to them.
Alabama is going to roll Indiana up and smoke them.
And I hate it. Ever since Tyler Simmons was onsides I’ve hoped they lose every game they play. I don’t care for Alabama.
I think Indiana takes it. They’ve won at Oregon (by 10) and a close at Pedo State and OSU. I don’t think the moment is too big for them.
Bama is flawed. They could win, but I don’t see them magically putting it all together.
I’ll take Indiana by 7.
I hope you’re right and if they beat them by 40 even better. SEC pride aside Alabama getting skull drug makes me happy.
I wouldn’t lay that td for anything. Gun to my head, I’m taking those points.
Over my lifetime, bama as a TD or greater dog is about a sure a bet as you’ll find.
1972 vs Nebraska may be the last time they didn’t cover in a big game under such a circumstance.
I go by the “the good Lord willing and the Creek don’t rise, if we make it through who would I rather meet in the championship game?” While a UGA/Bama final would be hilarious (after CFP expansion, B1G bragging, SEC dawgrading, etc. we wind up in the same f-ing place as we do every year), I’d rather see IU across the field from us.
This reminds me of the texas/bama NC game where Colt McCoy was injured early. Lots of athleticism on both sides, where turnovers and injuries may factor. I see bama with a pull away win 27-17.
I predict Bama wins in a way where they show they are a better team, but Big 10 and Indiana fans complain about a favorable call going Bama’s way so they can cling to SEC bias and claim Big 10 is actually still better than SEC because Bama needed the refs to win.
It appears as of this afternoon that the SEC sucks balls this bowl season while the B?G is kicking everyone’s butt. I’m picking Indiana & OSU big with UGA as the only hope for SEC fans.
I’d be ok with every other sec team stinking up their game and Georgia winning it all by beating both anOSU and Indiana.
If we win tomorrow night, we’re going to smoke Miami.
Coming back to say I was way, way wrong about Miami and Carson. Thought OSU would smoke them. Boy, was I wrong. Still hope we play them.
miltondawg
What would make up for missing the threepeat is Carson throwing two or three interceptions and then laying wood on Bama on the national stage. Make the whole college football world puke lol. As Erk would say “One more time”
Gg