Alabama vs. Illinois: Time, Date, TV Channel, 2026 CFP Rose Bowl Preview

It’s bowl season, which means we have a lot of football to watch between Dec. 13 and Jan. 19! Ohio State, Utah, Georgia Southern, Army, Texas A&M — and just about everyone in between — will take part in a total of 47 games that will ultimately conclude with the 2026 CFP National Championship.

NESN has you covered with previews for each and every game — with our next contest continuing the college football playoff quarterfinals:

2026 CFP Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential

Matchup: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Date: Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026
Kickoff: 4 p.m. ET
Stadium: Rose Bowl — Pasadena, Calif.
TV: ESPN

Game Overview

The 2026 College Football Playoff continues on Wednesday.

The Rose Bowl Game returns to the annual tournament for the sixth time, with Alabama and Indiana each looking to move on and join playoff winners Oregon (2015), Georgia (2018), Michigan (2024), Ohio State (2025) and… well, Alabama (2021).

O.J. Simpson (1968), Jim Plunkett (1971), Warren Moon (1978), Justin Herbert (2020) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2022) are just a few of the notable names who have taken home the game’s MVP.

The Crimson Tide and Hoosiers will look to add someone to that list on Thursday.

Team Overviews

No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide
Conference: SEC
Head Coach: Kalen DeBoer
Record: 11-3

Alabama is as wishy-washy as any team in the playoff, winning and losing games to both No. 3 Georgia and No. 8 Oklahoma.

The Crimson Tide are relatively hard to get a read on, though they have been consistently tremendous on the defensive side of the ball (17.9 points allowed per game) and consistently horrific in the running game (109.9 rushing yards per game).

Kalen DeBoer got his club to play their best game of the season in the first round of the playoff, however, so things are looking up.

No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers
Conference: Big Ten
Head Coach: Curt Cigneti
Record: 13-0

Indiana has been the model of consistency this season, serving as the only undefeated team remaining in the FBS.

The Hoosiers boast blowout wins over Illinois, UCLA, Maryland and Purdue, while squeezing out close ones over Iowa, Oregon, Penn State and Ohio State.

Curt Cigneti knows what he’s doing. Google him.

Players to Watch

Alabama
QB Ty Simpson
RB Jam Miller
WR Germie Bernard
WR Isaiah Horton
OL Kayden Proctor
DL Tim Keenan III
LB Yhonzae Pierre
LB Justin Jefferson
DB Zabien Brown
DB Bray Hubbard

Indiana
QB Fernando Mendoza
RB Roman Hemby
RB Kaelon Black
WR Omar Cooper Jr.
WR Elijah Sarratt
DL Stephen Daly
LB Aiden Fisher
LB Rolijah Hardy
DB Louis Moore
DB Amare Ferrell

Key Notes

Indiana hasn’t appeared in a New Year’s Six bowl game since the 1990 Peach Bowl.

Betting Lines

DraftKings Sportsbook: Indiana -7 | O/U 48.5
FanDuel Sportsbook: Indiana -7.5 | O/U 47.5
BetMGM Sportsbook: Indiana -7 | O/U 48.5

The Pick: Alabama +7.5