"Alabama vs. the world" is the mentality that the Crimson Tide has adopted for this College Football Playoff run.
This team has dealt with a ridiculous amount of noise this year. From the season-opening loss to Florida State, which had pundits writing the obituary of the 2025 season before it ever got started, and had many ready to fire Kalen DeBoer.
Even after winning eight straight games against quality competition, a close loss to Oklahoma, and then losing in the SEC Championship Game to Georgia, reignited the noise. Alabama doesn't deserve to be in the playoff, and DeBoer is looking for the first plane out of Tuscaloosa. Those were the popular talking points leading up to the Crimson Tide's opening round matchup against Oklahoma in the playoff.
That noise reached a fever pitch once Oklahoma broke out to a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter 10 days ago. But even in the aftermath of Alabama's comeback win, there are few who have given this team proper credit for it. And even fewer who believe the Crimson Tide has a realistic opportunity to upset No. 1 Indiana in Thursday's Rose Bowl.
That's nothing new for this team. In the aftermath of Nick Saban's retirement in January of 2024, everyone has been quick to shovel dirt on Alabama as a college football power. The long national nightmare of Tide dominance has poisoned the brains and turned normally rational pundits jaded.
"Unbiased" journalists actively root for the Crimson Tide's downfall. That's fine. All of that has led to a locker room that is super tight-knit.
"It's nothing new," Tim Keenan said to reporters on Sunday. "Adversity is nothing new for us. We're very familiar as far as not having anyone root for us. ...We all we got, we all we need."
It's Alabama vs. the world in the Rose Bowl against Indiana
Nobody outside of Alabama fans will be rooting for the Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl against Indiana. That's nothing new for the players or fans. When you have won at the level Alabama has won at, it creates envy and disdain among other fanbases.
This locker room is tight. DeBoer has created a "culture of fighters." It's a group that is able to battle back from adversity and the depths of defeat. We've seen it time and time again. When their backs are against the wall, they don't blink.
Lesser teams would have folded down 17-0 to Oklahoma amid all the outside noise surrounding the program. Alabama fought back. It stacked plays. And it won. For the 11th time this season.
And that win gives it a chance against the No. 1 team in the country with a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals on the line.