Hoosiers Now

Indiana Football Nabs No. 1 Seed in College Football Playoff, Picks Rose Bowl

Indiana football will face the winner of Oklahoma and Alabama on Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl.
Daniel Flick|
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti hoists the Big Ten Conference championship trophy on Dec. 6, 2025, in Indianapolis.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti hoists the Big Ten Conference championship trophy on Dec. 6, 2025, in Indianapolis. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana has officially climbed atop the college football hierarchy.

The Hoosiers earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff rankings revealed Sunday afternoon, marking the first time in program history they've ever been ranked as the nation's best team.

Indiana defeated then-No. 1 Ohio State, 13-10, in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to usurp the Buckeyes as the top seed on Selection Sunday.

"We're going to go in the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.," Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said postgame. "And a lot of people probably thought that wasn't possible. But when you get the right people and you have a plan and they love one another and play for one another and they commit, anything's possible. And I think that's what you saw happen here."

The Hoosiers, who received a first-round bye in the CFP and secured an automatic bid into the quarterfinal round, will play Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Indiana will play the winner of No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 9 Alabama. The Sooners beat the Crimson Tide, 23-21, in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Nov. 15. Now, they'll meet in Norman, Okla., for the right to face the Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl.

Here's the full College Football Playoff seed list:
1. Indiana (13-0)
2. Ohio State (12-1)
3. Georgia (12-1)
4. Texas Tech (12-1)
5. Oregon (11-1)
6. Ole Miss (11-1)
7. Texas A&M (11-1)
8. Oklahoma (10-2)
9. Alabama (10-3)
10. Miami (10-2)
11. Tulane (11-2)
12. James Madison (12-1)

If the Hoosiers advance beyond the quarterfinals, they'll play in the semifinals either Jan. 8 in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl or Jan. 9 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The College Football Playoff National Championship Game is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

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Daniel Flick
DANIEL FLICK

Daniel Flick is a senior in the Indiana University Media School and previously covered IU football and men's basketball for the Indiana Daily Student. Daniel also contributes NFL Draft articles for Sports Illustrated, and before joining Indiana Hoosiers On SI, he spent three years writing about the Atlanta Falcons and traveling around the NFL landscape for On SI. Daniel is the winner of the Joan Brew Scholarship, and he will cover Indiana sports once more for the 2025-26 season.

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