During the second quarter of the Alabama-Oklahoma game on Saturday, Indiana fans might as well have readied themselves to face OU next. But the Tide put forward its toughest fight of the season and overcame a whopping 17-0 gap to meet the Hoosiers next weekend. Although Indiana football has fared better than the more illustrious Alabama, there is a major problem that Curt Cignetti must address.

Indiana escaped repeating its 2024 playoff woes by booking a confirmed spot in the quarterfinals this year. Ahead of their ultra-important matchup against Alabama, it looks like Indiana has the edge. However, the Tide have another surprising advantage over the No. 1 Hoosiers—they’ve simply played more football!

“I think there’s a lot of pressure on Indiana in this game,” Paul Finebaum said in the December 22 episode of McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning. “I know this year is not a direct comparison to last year with the four bye teams because the circumstances are dramatically different. But I think Indiana could be a little bit vulnerable, just sitting around doing nothing right now, watching football while Alabama has a lot of momentum going.”

Indiana will take to the gridiron 26 days after its last appearance, where it defeated Ohio State. Alabama has clearly been the more active team, thanks to the loss in the SEC Championship game and the first-round game last week. After their gallant 34-24 win over the Sooners, Alabama is surely ready for another challenge. Unlike Indiana, Alabama has taken 2 hits this season. However, if being bruised can help against Indiana, Kalen DeBoer will definitely use it.

There’s also that weird but very logical fear of playoff teams getting knocked out in the quarterfinals. An undefeated Oregon lost to Ohio State last year after its bye. Georgia also fell to Notre Dame. This time, Indiana is in Oregon’s shoes and could very well be upset by Alabama.

The only major upside of this long gap is that injured players get some time to recuperate. Indiana will be counting on star WR Omarion Cooper Jr. to come back after having left the Ohio State clash. Indiana has already lost elite DE Stanley Davis to a season-ending injury. Bray Linch and Michael Kamara also went down with injuries against OSU.

While this is certainly a unique opportunity with the Tide, Indiana still has the biggest gun in college football at the moment. No matter how active Alabama has been this year, it will have to contain the storm that Fernando Mendoza will kick up in the Rose Bowl.

Fernando Mendoza remains Alabama’s biggest threat

There’s a weird overlap between these two teams on multiple fronts, despite meeting each other for the first time in history. One of them is at quarterback. Indiana and Alabama host the 2 best QBs in the country in Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson. But the Hoosier QB is the clear heavyweight upon comparison. During this extended off time, Mendoza was crowned the Heisman winner. Fans will hope that the trophy bolsters his already elite skill to get past Alabama.

Simpson has more passing yards (3,500) than Mendoza (2,980). The latter being removed from the game frequently might be a reason behind the gap. The Indiana QB has more TDs (33) and is a more accurate passer (71.5%). That will be put to the test against a top-ranking pass defense from Alabama. But looking at everything Mendoza has put forward this season, there’s a high chance he’s able to get past that defense.

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Indiana may be off the field for a long time, but there’s a reason why it’s still considered the projected winner. Alabama will have quite a number of players to watch out for, the most important among them being Fernando Mendoza. But Curt Cignetti better not lose his hold on the game by the time the Rose Bowl comes around.