Overview
- Indiana moves on to face No. 5 Oregon in the Peach Bowl semifinal, becoming the first bye team to win in the expanded College Football Playoff.
- Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza went 14-of-16 for three touchdowns in an efficient showing that guided a balanced Hoosiers attack.
- Alabama was limited to 193 total yards, including 23 rushing, in what became the program’s worst postseason defeat.
- Starting quarterback Ty Simpson took a hard hit, struggled, and was benched in the third quarter for Austin Mack; DeBoer said Simpson wanted to continue but was held out.
- Kalen DeBoer conceded an early failed fourth-and-1 call was the wrong decision as national voices from Kirk Herbstreit to Paul Finebaum condemned the performance and attention turns to the transfer portal and potential NFL decisions.