Indiana, Fernando Mendoza Hand Alabama Their Worst Ever Bowl Loss as CFP Bracket Shakes Up

The Indiana Hoosiers recorded their first ever Rose Bowl victory by handing Alabama its worst Bowl game defeat in recent memory.

Indiana, Fernando Mendoza Hand Alabama Their Worst Ever Bowl Loss as CFP Bracket Shakes Up

Fernando Mendoza (Image via IMAGO)

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Fernando Mendoza and the top-ranked Indiana Hoosiers handed the #9 Alabama Crimson Tide their worst loss in a bowl game. IU blew the Crimson Tide away with a 38-3 scoreline and secured their first-ever Rose Bowl victory.

Mendoza and IU were viewed as underdogs despite not losing a single game all year. It made sense, as Bama is among the winningest programs in college football, with 18 national titles to its name. Seven of them came during Nick Saban‘s era, but he’s no longer in the building.

Kalen DeBoer led the Tide to nine regular-season wins and a spot in the SEC Championship, which they lost to Georgia. In the first round of the playoffs, they defeated Oklahoma and arrived in Pasadena as the favorites against the Hoosiers.

Curt Cignetti‘s team earned a reputation as a giant killer after toppling last year’s CFP champions, Ohio State, in the Big Ten Championship game. IU showed the same grit against the Tide.

Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza threw 14 completions from 16 attempts (87.5%) for 192 yards and 3 touchdown passes. In reply, the Crimson Tide added a single field goal in four quarters. The win snapped a 34-year Bowl victory drought, marking the first since the 1991 Copper Bowl.

Bama has been on the receiving end of a few ugly beat downs over the years, and this result was the worst in postseason history. Most recently, Trevor Lawrence and Clemson handed the Tide a 44-16 defeat in the 2019 CFP Finals.

Fernando Mendoza takes one step closer to becoming the number one draft pick in 2026

Mendoza was never viewed as a top quarterback prospect while he was part of the California Golden Bears. He blew up after moving to Indiana ahead of the 2025 season. Under the tutelage of Cignetti, the 22-year-old emerged as a top QB in college football.

Indiana, Fernando Mendoza Hand Alabama Their Worst Ever Bowl Loss as CFP Bracket Shakes Up
Fernando Mendoza (Image via IMAGO)

He has yet to lose a game and could end the year with a 100% win record. In 14 games, he has thrown 240 completions (72.8%) for 3172 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. He further added 260 yards and 6 touchdowns with his feet.

Next week, the Hoosiers face off against the #5-ranked Oregon Ducks, who recorded a blowout 23-0 victory against #4-ranked Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. It will be a clash of two young quarterbacks vying for the number one overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Oregon’s Dante Moore is an athlete who gave Mendoza a tough fight in the Heisman voting last month. Moore, ex-UCLA, has thrown for 3046 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, with two more TDs on the ground.

Currently, the 2-14 Las Vegas Raiders hold the privilege of picking first in the draft (may change depending on week 18 results). The Raiders may draft a quarterback because Geno Smith is mostly a bridge QB. Mendoza seems like the obvious choice, but Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer believes that Moore’s also in the picture.

I’m not 100% convinced [that the Raiders’ pick] will be Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. I will say it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he is, and he seems like a great kid, and one you can bet on. I’m just not sure at this early juncture whether he’ll go ahead of Oregon’s Dante Moore [should Moore turn down whatever Phil Knight’s offering him to stay in Eugene and play for the Ducks].

Perhaps the Peach Bowl in Atlanta will help Tom Brady decide which quarterback is better suited to lead his franchise.

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