The stories and lore of college football are what make this sport so great. Arguably, there may not be a bigger bowl game than the Rose Bowl, and for Alabama to be part of it 100 years after their first appearance in Pasadena is too good for TV.
If you saw this plot in a movie, most people would probably find it corny and unbelievable, but here we are, and real life again shows better than fiction. The win over Washington after the 1925 season changed the Crimson Tide's history forever and put Alabama on the national map, and as we know, they have never left the scene. It is very interesting how similar Indiana is in this game to the Tide a century ago, as they look to forever set their legacy in the college football world.
The Hoosiers have reached heights never thought obtainable in the history of their football program, with back-to-back playoff appearances and this year a Big Ten Championship with wins over both Oregon and Ohio State. What seemed like a fluke a year ago has proven to be anything but, as Curt Cignetti has Indiana as the top team in America and right now a seven-point favorite over Alabama.
I don't think there are many in the college football world outside of those in the Indiana locker room who ever thought a day when they would be favored over a storied program like Alabama in such a huge game.
Of course, after Thursday's game, the winner will have to win two more games to be crowned the 2025 National Champion, but there seems to be a feeling that the winner of the Rose Bowl will find themselves in Miami in a few weeks. Two years ago, we saw Michigan win the National Championship after beating Alabama in this same game, and of course, last year we Ohio State win the title after a dominating win over Oregon in the Granddaddy of Them All.
The storylines are immense, but maybe nothing more so than the program that is trying to stay relevant after the end of the Nick Saban era vs a program looking to become consistently relevant under the hottest coach in the game with Cignetti. No matter what happens in the game, you get the feeling we will be talking about this one for a while.