Indiana football made quite an emphatic statement in its College Football Playoff Rose Bowl quarterfinal matchup against No. 9 Alabama.
Behind a three-touchdown afternoon from Fernando Mendoza and some relentless defense, the top-seeded Hoosiers embarrassed the ninth-seeded Crimson Tide 38-3 in ‘The Granddaddy of Them All’ on Thursday, Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to advance to their first CFP semifinal.
The Hoosiers’ dominant ‘business trip’ to the Rose Bowl made some history, as it is tied for the fourth-largest blowout win in the history of the College Football Playoff and the worst loss Alabama has sustained since 1998. It is the first bowl win for the Hoosiers since the 1991 Copper Bowl.
A 17-0 halftime lead for Indiana quickly snowballed into a 38-3 lead for the Hoosiers following Roman Hemby’s 18-yard rushing touchdown at the 10:33 mark of the fourth quarter. Mendoza’s 1-yard pass to Omar Cooper Jr. with 17 seconds remaining in the second quarter started a four-consecutive drive stretch for the Hoosiers where they scored a touchdown
With its win, Indiana now heads to Atlanta for another date against No. 5 Oregon on Friday, Jan. 9 in the CFP Peach Bowl semifinal, where the Hoosiers will look to beat the Ducks for the second time this season.
Here’s what to know on the biggest blowout win in College Football Playoff history:
What is the biggest blowout win in CFP history?
Georgia owns the record for the biggest blowout win in the history of the College Football Playoff at 58 points against TCU in the 2022-23 CFP Championship game. The Bulldogs surpassed Oregon’s previous record against Florida State in the 2015 Rose Bowl with a 39-point margin win.
With its win in the Rose Bowl, Indiana surpassed Penn State for the record for the biggest blowout win in the 12-team CFP era at 35 points. The Nittany Lions previously held it at 28 points from its 38-10 first-round win over SMU last season at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley.
Biggest blowout wins in CFP history
Here’s a look at the top 10 biggest blowout wins in the history of the College Football Playoff, including where Indiana’s 35-point win over Alabama ranks amongst them:
- 1. No. 1 Georgia 65, No. 4 TCU 7 (58 points) (2022-23 CFP Championship game)
- 2. No. 2 Oregon 59, No. 3 Florida State 20 (39 points) (2014-15 CFP Rose Bowl semifinal)
- 3. No. 2 Alabama 38, No. 3 Michigan State 0 (38 points) (2015-16 CFP Cotton Bowl semifinal)
- T-4. No. 1 Indiana 38, No. 9 Alabama 3 (35 points) (2025-26 CFP Rose Bowl quarterfinal)
- T-4. No. 1 LSU 63, No. 4 Oklahoma 28 (35 points) (2019-20 CFP Peach Bowl semifinal)
- 6. No. 2 Clemson 31, No. 3 Ohio State 0 (31 points) (2016-17 CFP Fiesta Bowl semifinal)
- T-7. No. 6 Penn State 38, No. 11 SMU 10 (28 points) (2024-25 CFP First-Round)
- T-7. No. 2 Clemson 44, No. 1 Alabama 16 (28 points) (2018-19 CFP Championship game)
- T-7. No. 1 Alabama 52, No. 3 Ohio State 24 (28 points) (2020-21 CFP Championship game)
- 10. No. 2 Clemson 30, No. 3 Notre Dame 3 (27 points) (2018-19 CFP Cotton Bowl semifinal)
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