The Thursday afternoon College Football Playoff game between Alabama and Indiana could feature some interesting field conditions after unexpectedly heavy rain swamped historic Rose Bowl Stadium.
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"College GameDay" on ESPN showed the rain falling on the partially covered field. Crew members tried to use brooms to push the water away from the tarp covering the playing surface and toward the grandstand walls.
The video made it appear to be a losing battle as the rain continued falling. Meanwhile, the "College GameDay" hosts had some fun joking about the inclement conditions.
"These guys are gamers out here," Rece Davis said. "If you watch this game later today, and it looks immaculate, and the rain's stopped... tip of the cap to these guys."
I don't know if that's working 😂😂😂#CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/WGWENj8ce1
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 1, 2026
The ESPN hosts continued discussing the situation while saying that the crew had put towels on the seats in anticipation of the rain. These towels remained there as the heavy rain continued to fall.
The rain ultimately lightened as the crews pulled the tarps from the field in anticipation of the 4 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN. However, a chance remained that a passing shower or two could still affect this pivotal playoff game between Alabama and Indiana.
"For us, we haven't played a lot in those elements this season," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said this week when asked about the rain. "You try to prepare and practice with a wet ball and things like that, whether it's snapping the football, catching the football, throwing it, whatever it is. but in the end, we've just got to adapt.
"We talk about those things, on the staff. Whether it's offense or defense, it kind of affects how you go about. But obviously, ball security and turnovers are something that I think everyone would acknowledge would be critical when the factors could be rain."
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti had a similar answer. He noted that he doesn't expect a "deluge" during the Rose Bowl but said that the team will just have to adapt and improvise if needed.
