'Forget the World' is Alabama's Mindset Heading into Matchup with No. 1 Indiana

Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson thanked the doubters and people who wrote Alabama off before the College Football Playoff as his team prepares to face undefeated Indiana in the Rose Bowl.

Alabama Football Head Coach Kalen DeBoer in action against Oklahoma during College Football Playoff First Round at Memorial Stadium in Norman, OK on Friday, Dec 19, 2025. | UA Athletics

Alabama football hasn't gotten the opportunity to play the underdog role much over the last 15 years. As one of the last two at-large teams in the College Football Playoff field, it is one the Crimson Tide and quarterback Ty Simpson can fully lean into now.

No. 9 Alabama (11-3) erased a 17-point deficit to beat No. 8 Oklahoma on the road in the first round of the CFP, and now the Crimson Tide will take on undefeated No. 1 Indiana (13-0) in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal. The Hoosiers are favored to beat Alabama by a touchdown, and ESPN's Football Power Index is giving Indiana a 71 percent chance to win the game.

"It just starts with the not caring mentality," Simpson said during a Saturday press conference. "I talked about after the game about how everybody just wrote us off, me included, and it made me feel some type of way. Thanked you guys, thanked the media. It’s kind of the same mentality going in, right. Nobody expected us to make it to the Rose Bowl, nobody expected us to make it to the playoffs. So it’s kind of the same thing. Forget the world, it’s all about Alabama. That’s the mindset going in. It’s going to be the mindset forevermore.”

Crimson Tide wide receiver Germie Bernard said Alabama doesn't necessarily relish the opportunity to prove people wrong, but it is hard for the team to ignore the doubters.

"We’re always just focused on us and playing our best game, but obviously it adds an extra fuel to our fire knowing that everybody is doubting us," Bernard explained. "Nobody wants to see Bama win. We put that on our shoulder, and we just work harder.”

As a program, Alabama is used to being on top of the college football world, winning six national titles and nine SEC championships since 2009 to go along with nine CFP appearances. Nick Saban's retirement after the 2023 season opened the door for skepticism for the future of the program.

Alabama has been proving doubters wrong since Week 1 of the season when the Crimson Tide lost 31-17 Florida State. After the season-opening loss, the Tide reeled off eight straight wins, including four over ranked opponents. Alabama didn't have a strong finish to the season with a home loss to Oklahoma and blowout loss to Georgia in the SEC title game, but the Crimson Tide proved why it is one of the best teams in the country and deserving of a playoff spot with the comeback win at Oklahoma in the first round.

Now, in one of the grandest stages the sport has to offer in the Rose Bowl, Alabama once again has an opportunity to show why it belongs with the big dogs.

"Looking forward to the challenge," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said. "Our guys are as well."