It's an interesting spot for Alabama football to be in heading into a big game. Tide fans have sarcastically used the "nobody believes in us" rallying cry in the past, but this time it might just be real.
Against No. 1 Indiana in the Rose Bowl, early predictions indicate that most experts aren't giving Alabama much of a chance to win. Neither is Vegas. As of Monday morning, the Crimson Tide is a 6.5-point underdog to the Hoosiers, according to FanDuel.
I'm not sure Kalen DeBoer would have it any other way at this point.
Ty Simpson talked about how the media writing Alabama off before the College Football Playoff was fuel for the Tide's come-from-behind win over Oklahoma. They didn't have to wait long for more motivation.
In the immediate aftermath of Alabama's win over Oklahoma, CBS Sports analyst Richard Johnson cast quick doubt about the Crimson Tide's ability to win the Rose Bowl.
"If you're picking Alabama in this game, you're just picking helmets," Johnson said. ..."You have not watched either of these teams, and I'll be charitable, in the last month, and really you could say the whole season...there's no reason that Indiana, in my opinion, loses to Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
"Alabama played a team tonight in Oklahoma that beat itself. That was part of the reason Alabama was able to storm back in the game with the miscues. Indiana will not beat itself.
Alabama will have plenty of bulletin board material for the Rose Bowl
It's incredible the mental gymnastics so many of these analysts will do to avoid giving credit to DeBoer and his team for the mental resolve it took to come back and win a playoff game on the road. They simply refuse to admit that Alabama deserved to be in the College Football Playoff, and the thought of the Tide winning the Rose Bowl is unthinkable to the narrative they want so badly to be true.
Of course, Alabama didn't beat Oklahoma. The Sooners beat themselves. We can't give credit to the team we dislike. That would be a step too far.
Indiana is a great team. It is rightfully favored. The Hoosiers have the Heisman Trophy winner at QB, and all the advanced metrics favor them.
But dismiss Alabama at your own peril. DeBoer has built a culture of fighters in Tuscaloosa, one that doesn't back down and always has a puncher's chance. Alabama is battle-tested like few teams in the country, and it'll be ready to stand in the middle of the ring to trade blows with big, bad Indiana on New Year's Day.