When Alabama made the playoffs over the likes of Notre Dame and the Texas Longhorns, all hell broke loose across the college football world. Despite all the “non-deserving” and “underdog” chatter, Alabama QB Ty Simpson couldn’t care less about tags like undefeated or No. 1. In fact, he’s embracing it.

“The week before the SEC Championship, we didn’t put our best foot forward,” Ty Simpson said during the Rose Bowl press conference. “Everybody knew that due to the circumstances, but that’s not an excuse. So, we had to prove people wrong again.”

Alabama put up its worst performance of the season against Georgia in the SEC Championship: just 7 points and -3 rushing yards. But if you actually look at the context, it’s not that hard to understand.

Basically, Alabama just couldn’t catch a break with injuries to some of its best players. They had to play without their star lead-running back, Jam Miller. Plus, they were also missing receiver-tight end Josh Cuevas and defensive standout LT Overton (who was out sick).

It’s tough to beat a team like Georgia when you’re missing those kinds of playmakers, and when you add in a blocked punt and some messy turnovers early on, they just got stuck in a hole they couldn’t climb out of.

When the Playoff Committee gave Alabama the benefit of the doubt and the nod, Kalen DeBoer’s squad made sure it paid off in the first-round playoff against Brent Venables’ hard-nosed Oklahoma defense.

Alabama erased a 17-point deficit and rattled off 27 unanswered points, all thanks to Ty Simpson. The veteran quarterback delivered a zero-turnover performance, throwing for 232 yards on 18-of-29 passing with two touchdowns. On the other side, the defense allowed just seven points in the second half.

That 34–24 win made the Playoff Committee look right and forced critics and naysayers to eat their words.

More importantly, it gave Alabama confidence that it can hang with and outplay any Division I team in the country. That belief explains why Ty Simpson is betting entirely on himself and this team.

Despite the historic comeback against the Sooners, the college football world once again labeled Alabama as the underdog heading into the Rose Bowl against the undefeated, No. 1-ranked Big Ten champion Indiana Hoosiers.

“All the noise about us not being a good team, us not being tough, us not belonging in the playoffs. It made us feel a certain way, Simpson said.

We come out with a win, and then it’s the same thing again this week, being the underdog against the No. 1 team. You gotta love that. That’s why you play college football and why you love the University of Alabama.”

Ty Simpson believes this game won’t be any different. Alabama is confident in its talent, regardless of rankings.

Needless to say, the Rose Bowl will be their most formidable challenge yet, and probably the last time Ty Simpson ever steps onto a college football field.

Despite Indiana’s clear talent edge and Alabama’s struggles running the ball, one college football analyst is still picking the Tide to win for two simple reasons.

Alabama got a shot at winning the Rose Bowl, per Brooks Austin

On December 30, certified college football analyst Brooks Austin joined The Next Round podcast and didn’t mince words. Austin believes Alabama can beat Indiana even if it can’t run the football. Alabama’s offense has been flawed all season, but Brooks says it hasn’t mattered because Ty Simpson is playing at an elite level all season: 3500 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just five picks.

He gets the ball out fast, makes quick decisions, and always seems to find answers. Even when the offense looks limited, Alabama still finds ways to move the ball and score.

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“They’re flawed offensively, but the quarterback is playing at such a high level it doesn’t matter.”

Austin also believes Alabama’s defense is being seriously overlooked. In his view, the Tide has one of the best defensive units left in the playoffs. Right there with the likes of Ohio State and Georgia. He thinks this unit could be the actual difference in this matchup: “That Alabama defensive unit is really, really good.”

He also sees a schematic advantage. Indiana’s offense lives off RPOs and deep shots to big receivers, but Alabama’s secondary is built to counter exactly that. Brooks points to Dijon Lee, who’s 6’5 and won’t be bothered by Indiana’s size at all. He believes Alabama can take away what Indiana does best and force them to play a different game.

In simple summary: Brooks trusts Alabama’s Ty Simpson to do enough, and their defense to carry the rest.