Curt Cignetti Shares Reaction to Alabama's Comeback Win Over Oklahoma

The Indiana head coach emphasizes how "tremendous" the Crimson Tide's road victory was in the first round of the College Football Playoff ahead of the Rose Bowl.

Dec 6, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti looks on before the 2025 Big Ten championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Scoreboard watching can be quite the thrilling activity.

After being named the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025-26 College Football Playoff, Indiana received a bye into the quarterfinals round. The Hoosiers got to sit down comfortably last week after finishing the regular season with an undefeated record and beating reigning national champion Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship game.

But the main game for Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and company to watch was the first-round matchup between 8-seed Oklahoma and 9-seed Alabama in Norman, Okla., this past Friday night. The winner of this contest would play the Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif.

The Crimson Tide took Oklahoma down 34-24. Alabama was once down 17-0 — tying the largest comeback win in CFP history (Georgia over Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl) — and Cignetti applauded UA's resilience.

"That was a tremendous comeback on the road in a hostile environment, to come back from 17 points down and come out with a win," Cignetti said during Monday's pre-Rose Bowl press conference.

"And and I think it tells you a lot about the character of their football team. They got a lot of great players are extremely well coached, and so you know, they're really good team would be a tremendous challenge."

Nobody knew that Alabama would be facing Indiana in the Rose Bowl in the beginning. It's a game that no one would even think of the Hoosiers qualifying for.

But the Oklahoma comeback was not the first time that he's watched an Alabama game this season. In fact, it's nowhere near the first battle that he's seen from Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer.

"Well, you know, I actually did get to watch some of them early in the year, because we had a couple bye weeks, and I'm a film junkie," Cignetti said. "I've always enjoyed studying coach DeBoer's offenses from the time he was at Washington. So, you know, I got to watch their first Georgia game and some of their other things, they do a lot of really great stuff.

"I've got a lot of respect for Alabama and coach DeBoer. I've been following his career for a long time. He kind of started out at a lower level, like I did, and ever since he went to Washington, I've really kind of studied his offense. I think he's a great coach."

Two hours before the Rose Bowl kicks off, Oregon will face Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. The winners of these games will meet in the CFP semifinal at the Peach Bowl.

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