Despite an unbeaten season that includes a gritty 13-10 win over then-No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, the Indiana Hoosiers are still fighting for respect-and not just on the field. The College Football Playoff selection committee gave them the No. 1 seed, and quarterback Fernando Mendoza took home the Heisman Trophy, but not everyone’s convinced they’re ready to topple the Alabama Crimson Tide.
SEC analyst Paul Finebaum, never one to shy away from bold takes, isn’t buying the Hoosiers as the team to beat.
To be clear, Finebaum isn’t dismissing what head coach Curt Cignetti has accomplished in Bloomington. Taking Indiana from a struggling program to a 13-0 powerhouse and CFP top seed is no small feat. But in Finebaum’s eyes, the moment may be arriving too fast-and with too much weight-for a program that hasn’t lived in this kind of spotlight before.
“At this moment, I feel pretty good about Alabama,” Finebaum said during an appearance on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning. “I want to think a lot more about it, but, I mean, I think, you know, from a pure matchup standpoint, it’s not great because of how strong and disciplined Indiana is defensively. But I think there’s a lot of pressure on Indiana in this game.”
That pressure, he says, doesn’t come from the scoreboard-it comes from the calendar. Finebaum pointed to Indiana’s lack of postseason experience and their current layoff as potential red flags. While Alabama has been grinding through the SEC gauntlet and riding a wave of momentum, Indiana has been in wait-and-see mode since clinching the Big Ten title.
“I know this year is not a direct comparison to last year with the four bye teams because the circumstances are dramatically different,” Finebaum said. “But I think Indiana could be a little bit vulnerable, just sitting around doing nothing right now watching football while Alabama, you know, has a lot of momentum going.”
It’s a fair concern. Momentum and rhythm matter in college football, especially in the postseason. Indiana’s defense has been a calling card all year-disciplined, physical, and relentless-but how that unit responds after a long layoff against an Alabama team that’s been through the fire will be one of the game’s defining matchups.
And then there’s Mendoza. The Heisman winner has had a remarkable season, but this will be the biggest stage he’s ever played on. How he handles Alabama’s pressure packages, the speed of their secondary, and the moment itself could swing the game.
For now, Finebaum seems firmly in Alabama’s corner. But as we’ve seen all season, Indiana doesn’t mind being doubted. They’ve turned skepticism into fuel, and they’ve done it with a defense that punches above its weight and a quarterback who plays with poise beyond his years.
Kickoff is set for New Year’s Day at 4 p.m. ET. We’ll find out soon enough whether Indiana’s storybook season has one more chapter-or if Alabama writes the ending.