Indiana will be tasked with stopping a growing trend in the College Football Playoff when it takes on Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
Teams that received a first-round BYE in the 12-team playoff are now 0-5 after Miami beat Ohio State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. This trend started a year ago in the inaugural 12-team playoff during the 2024-2025 season.
This interesting development will undoubtedly be a point of concern for college football coaches in the future with the time off before the College Football Playoff quarterfinals appearing to put teams at a disadvantage when they go up against teams with games under their belt in the first round.