The Alabama Crimson Tide survived a scare against the Oklahoma Sooners, winning their first-round matchup 34-24 in Norman and punching a ticket to the Rose Bowl to take on the Indiana Hoosiers in Pasadena, California.
As the No. 9 seed, they're hoping they can harness some of the championship magic the 2024/2025 Ohio State Buckeyes were able to conjure up from the No. 8 seed.
As USA Today's Craig Meyer noted, though, that's a long shot because this year's Alabama has nothing on last year's title team.
"We all saw what happened last season when a Big Ten team with an extra week-and-a-half of rest found itself in the Rose Bowl against a talented opponent with an embattled coach coming off a much-needed first-round win.