Indiana football knows its opponent for the Rose Bowl. The Hoosiers, ranked No. 1 in the College Football Playoff, play No. 9 seed Alabama on New Year’s Day. The Crimson Tide beat No. 8 seed Oklahoma 34-24 in the first-round game on Dec. 19.
Start time for Indiana football’s next game? When do the Indiana Hoosiers play in the Rose Bowl?
The Rose Bowl game is 4 p.m. ET Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
Where is Indiana football’s next game? Who does Indiana play next?
IU football will play in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, against Alabama the winner of the CFP game between the Nos. 8 (Oklahoma) and 9 (Alabama) seeds. The Crimson Tide beat the Sooners 34-24 on Dec. 19.
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College Football Playoff schedule
(all times ET)
First round, Saturday, Dec. 19-20
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Quarterfinals, Wednesday-Thursday, Dec. 31-Jan. 1
- No. 2 Ohio State (12-1) vs. Texas A&M-Miami winner in Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, ESPN
- No. 4 Texas Tech (12-1) vs. Oregon-James Madison winner in Orange Bowl in Miami, noon Thursday, Jan. 1, ESPN
- No. 9 Alabama (11-3) vs. No. 1 Indiana (13-0) vs. Alabama-Oklahoma winner in Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 1, ESPN
- No. 3 Georgia (12-1) vs. Ole Miss-Tulane winner in Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 1, ESPN
Semifinals, Thursday-Friday, Jan. 8-9, 2026
- Teams TBA, Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, ESPN
- Teams TBA, Peach Bowl in Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, ESPN
How does the College Football Playoff work?
- The 12 participating teams will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, plus the next seven highest-ranked schools.
- The four highest-ranked schools will be seeded one through four and will receive a first-round bye. The remaining schools will be seeded 5-12 based on their final ranking. If any of the five highest-ranked conference champions falls outside of the top 12, they will be seeded at the bottom of the 12-team pool.
- The eight schools seeded No. 5-12 will play in the CFP first round with the better seeds hosting the worse seeds either on campus or at other sites designated by the better-seeded institution (No. 12 at No. 5, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7 and No. 9 at No. 8.).
- The CFP selection committee will assign the four highest-ranked schools to quarterfinals hosted by bowls. This will be done in consideration of historic bowl relationships, then in consideration of rankings. Because Indiana is ranked No. 1, it will be assigned to the Rose Bowl.
- With the four highest-ranked schools assigned to bowls, their four quarterfinal opponents will be dictated by the bracket (No. 1 vs. No. 8/9 winner; No. 4 vs. No. 5/12 winner; No. 2 vs. 7/10 winner; No. 3 vs. 6/11 winner).
- The College Football Playoff bracket will follow the selection committee’s rankings, with no modifications made to avoid rematches between teams that may have played during the regular season or are from the same conference.
- The bracket will remain in effect throughout the playoff. There is no re-seeding.
- The No. 1 seed will receive preferential placement for the semifinal bowl assignment on selection day.
- All 11 games will be under the CFP umbrella with the administrative policies determined by the CFP.
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