PASADENA, Calif. — Watch enough tape of Indiana, and you'll be sold. The average fan south of the Mason-Dixon Line doesn't do that. But do you know who does in the great state of Alabama? The coaches and players who actually suit up for the Crimson Tide.

The average Alabama fan will tell you ''we're better at every position'' and that ''Indiana hasn't played a good team all year'' and ''we'll win by 25, easy.'' They also can't name five Indiana players and also know that the Tide has 18 national titles and Indiana, until a few months ago, had more losses than anyone in college football history.

None of that matters, of course, come Thursday when No. 1 seed Indiana takes on No. 9 seed Alabama in the Rose Bowl, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal. It's all about the here, all about the now.

And who says so?

Alabama players and coaches, of course. While the average Alabama fan doesn't think much of Indiana, the Crimson Tide players and coaches have done enough prep work to know that they will have their hands full with a legitimately good football team that's 13-0 for a reason.

They're impressed with what they've seen with Indiana, which has wins over then No. 1 Ohio State on a neutral field, and then No. 2 Oregon in Eugune. 

"Indiana, they're a very efficient and disciplined team,'' Alabama defensive tackle Tim Keenan said. "They make really few to no mistakes, so we have to really hone in our keys.'' 

Indiana's offense has committed only eight turnovers all year, the third-lowest total in the country and lowest among Power 4 teams. They have lost only one fumble all year.

Combine that with a solid and diverse offense, and any defense would have issues. Indiana averages 221.2 yards per game rushing — which is 10th in the nation —  and 251.8 yards passing behind Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. He completed 71.5 percent of his passes, good for fifth in the nation.

Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack — who coached at Indiana for two seasons, and was their defensive coordinator during a 6-1 COVID season in 2020 — spends every waking hour trying to figure out ways to shut down opposing quarterbacks. He knows it will take a special effort to get to Mendoza.

“You know, I want to stop quarterbacks whether they’ve won the Heisman trophy or not,” Wommack told reporters earlier this week in Tuscaloosa. “But, I certainly think, if they’ve won the Heisman, it’s a tremendous challenge for us. He is operating at a really high level. He’s executing at a really high level.

"So, when you watch the tape and the challenge really, the rally cry for our guys, is you’re going to have to operate at a really consistent level, and you’re going to have to take away those windows that he’s wanting to get the ball to. That means it’s not just the coverage; we have to be able to rush. We’ve got to be able to affect the quarterback some. And ultimately, we have to be able to finish on the ball against a receiving corps that, in my mind, has competed for the ball at the top of routes all season long, and they tend to step up in big moments.

"This will be a big moment for us; it will be a big, great opportunity, one that, if there’s anything this team has been, it’s battle-tested. So we’re excited for just another challenge at hand.” 

Alabama comes into the game as a touchdown underdog, according to the gambling folks at Fanduel.com. Considering the disparate history of these two schools on the gridiron, that seems like something of a surprise.

But the line hasn't really changed much at all since it opened last Friday, which means there's not a huge dash to the ticket window to take Alabama and the points.

A lot of the football experts out there — David Pollack, Andy Staples and others — have said all week that Indiana is just the better team, on both sides of the ball. People are impressed with their physicality, their preparation, and their ability to make big plays in clutch situations.

They are a legit 13-0. Alabama, on the other hand, is 10-3 and they are the only team in the 12-team field with three losses — including one to a 5-7 Florida State team. There are many who questioned whether the Crimson Tide belonged in this tournament, especially after getting clobbered by Georgia in the SEC Championship Game.

They really questioned it when they were down 17-0 to Oklahoma just 19 minutes into their first-round game. But then Alabama put it all together and stormed back for a 34-24 win to advance to the Rose Bowl.

Alabama is the brand name in the sport. They have 18 national titles since 1925, and many Crimson Tide fans like to claim a dozen more ''mythical'' crowns. Since the College Football Playoff started in 2014, they have more national championships (3) than anyone, and more wins (10), too.

It's a love/hate relationship across the country, of course. And the Alabama players get that, too. 

They also don't care, either. Not one bit. 

"It just starts with the 'not-caring' mentality," Simpson told reporters last Saturday. "I talked after the game about how everybody just wrote us off, me included, and it made me feel some type of way. I thanked you guys, thanked the media.

"It’s kind of the same mentality going in, right? Nobody expected us to make it to the Rose Bowl, nobody expected us to make it to the playoffs. So it’s kind of the same thing. Forget the world, it’s all about Alabama. That’s the mindset going in. It’s going to be the mindset forever more.” 

A team that internalizes all that criticism can become dangerous. 

"Obviously, it adds an extra fuel to our fire knowing that everybody is doubting us," Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard said. "Nobody wants to see Bama win. We put that on our shoulder, and we just work harder.”

And when it comes down to Thursday, what Alabama knows is that Indiana will not beat themselves. So it's up to the Crimson Tide to force the issue, and make things happen. Their defense needs to force issues, and stop the run. Their offense needs to hit a few big plays and special teams, well, they need to be special.

"I think when you look at Indiana, they are very disciplined, and they are very detailed. It's the reason why they're one of the top teams in the country on turnover margin,'' Wommack said. He's right. Indiana is plus-17 in turnover margin, second in the country to only Arizona (plus-18).

"That discipline, it's also the reason why they're one of the top teams in the country in penalties. They're very disciplined and detailed about what they do. We, I think, we're as good as anybody in the country at attempting to take the ball off of people. It doesn't mean that we always get it, but we are going to attempt to take it off.

"That's the great challenge for us, but we will also be a great challenge for them, and one that, really, when you start looking at the markers of the game, the turnover margin will be a huge indicator to who wins that game. I know that you could point to that in a lot of different scenarios, but explosive plays and turnover margin will define the outcome of this football game."

Kickoff is at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Related Rose Bowl stories

LONG LAYOFF HURT TOP SEEDS?: The expanded College Football Playoff offers exciting quarterfinal matchups next week, but don't expect a repeat of last year's struggles for the top-four seeds. This year's elite contenders — Indiana, Ohio State and Georgia — are all favored and poised to dominate. READ MORE

DeBOER UNDERSTANDS INDIANA'S RISE: Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer appreciates what Curt Cignetti has done at Indiana, because he has first-hand knowledge of what it's like to win there. DeBoer was the offensive coordinator there in 2019, one of the first high-priced hires by the school. Now they face off in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. Here is Tom Brew's column on DeBoer. READ MORE

COMPLETE BOWL SCHEDULE: Here is the complete 2025-26 college football bowl schedule, with dates, locations, game times, TV information and the latest on the point spreads. We also update all the results in real time. READ MORE