January 1, 2026, is the kind of day you circle on the calendar and then doodle little footballs around, just for luck. New Year’s Day, of course, marks the date of a number of critical games in the College Football Playoffs (CFP), including Alabama vs. Indiana. In the 2026 Rose Bowl, the Indiana Hoosiers, with their 13-0 record, will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide, with an 11-3 record.
So, there are a bevy of high-profile college football games today on New Year’s Day. The Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Indiana Hoosiers game is a special one.
The scene is set. The sun is hanging comfortably over the Rose Bowl, fans are spilling in with coffee cups, foam fingers and nerves they pretend not to have, and college football hums with that familiar pregame electricity. This is the hour when anything feels possible, when records reset and hope stretches its arms.
Alabama arrives carrying tradition. They’re polished, heavy with history and a heritage name. This stage is familiar territory. The Crimson Tide knows how to wait, how to breathe, how to strike when the moment calls for it.
Indiana’s entrance feels different, lighter, and maybe that’s the point. The Hoosiers step into this game with the glow of a team that has already rewritten its own story and isn’t finished editing. There’s confidence here, the quiet kind, built on belief rather than expectation.
The matchup is already winning hearts. It’s the blue blood and the bold climber. The established power and the program that kept knocking until the door finally opened. That contrast gives the game its sparkle before the first snap. So, let’s get into the Alabama vs. Indiana Hoosiers schedule, as well as college football games today on New Year’s Day.
How to Watch the Rose Bowl: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Indiana Hoosiers
The No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers (13-0) take on the Alabama Crimson Tide (11-3) in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, in the quarterfinal round of the CFP on Thursday, Jan. 1. Opening kickoff is at 4 p.m. ET. Indiana is a 7 favorite ahead of the game.
- Venue: Rose Bowl
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Streaming: Fubo
- TV: ESPN
Earlier in the day, the Oregon Ducks (12-1) will play the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders (12-1) in the Orange Bowl, starting at 12 p.m. ET in Miami Gardens, Florida. This game airs on ESPN and streams on Fubo.
Also on New Year’s Day, the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) go up against the Ole Miss Rebels (12-1) in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana, at 8 p.m. ET. The game airs on ESPN and streams on Fubo.
Additional Coverage for Alabama vs. Indiana at the Rose Bowl
According to ESPN, “For the fourth consecutive season, the MegaCast fan favorite Field Pass returns to the College Football Playoff. Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show will offer entertaining, free-flowing commentary of a pair of CFP Quarterfinals.”
They add, “On New Year’s Eve, No. 10 Miami and No. 2 Ohio State will get the Field Pass treatment at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on ESPN2. On New Year’s Day, Field Pass will be live at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential on ESPN2, featuring top-seeded Indiana and No. 9 Alabama.”
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