The Rose Bowl and College Football Playoff provide plenty of motivation for players without needing any extra from outside noise. But Alabama has had a plethora of outside noise to aid in additional fuel for Thursday's matchup against No. 1 Indiana.
Pundits far and wide aren't giving the Crimson Tide much of a chance against the unbeaten Hoosiers. That's nothing new for this team, though. They've been doubted ever since the season-opening loss to Florida State.
Alabama was dead, Kalen DeBoer was on the hot seat, and it was time to start planning for a new future.
Ty Simpson and his Tide teammates didn't accept that fate. They reeled off eight straight wins from there, including a road win over Georgia and a 16-point win over Vanderbilt. A close loss to Oklahoma in the regular season and a three-touchdown loss to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game refueled that doubt.
Alabama didn't deserve to make the College Football Playoff, Simpson was in an unescapable funk, and DeBoer was going to hop the first train to Happy Valley or Ann Arbor after the season was over.
The same pundits not giving the Tide a chance against Indiana didn't give them much of a chance against Oklahoma two weeks ago, either. Premature obituaries were written once the Sooners broke out to a 17-0 lead, and many didn't bother to walk back those takes even after Alabama rallied and outscored Oklahoma 34-7 the remainder of the game.
Being the underdog is just fine for Alabama. They feed off the doubt. And they're ready to prove everyone wrong again on New Year's Day.
“All the noise of us not being a good team, not being tough, shouldn’t be in the Playoff, made us feel some type of way," Simpson said at Rose Bowl Media Day. ..."Being an underdog, playing against the No. 1 team, you gotta love that."
Ty Simpson and Alabama have embraced being the underdog
It's not a familiar spot for Alabama as a whole. For the better part of the last two decades, the Crimson Tide has gotten used to being the favorite. But this will be the third consecutive game - and fourth time this season - that it has been the betting underdog.
It's the largest point spread deficit for Alabama since the 2021 SEC Championship Game, a game the Crimson Tide won 41-24 over Georgia.
Deontae Lawson says the doubt has been taken as disrespect.
"We felt like that all year. We felt like everyone is against Alabama," Lawson said at Rose Bowl Media Day. "That’s the chip that we use to play with on our shoulders just to keep that edge that we had ever since the first game of the season when we took that loss.
"Yeah, it was definitely disrespect. We don’t take that lightly for sure."
It's always Alabama vs. the world. The only thing that has changed is the venue. And the roses in that grand old stadium will provide the perfect backdrop for the Crimson Tide to quiet the noise for good.