By Chris Schumerth | @ChrisSchumerth Sports Capital Journalism Program PASADENA, Calif—Whether it’s for any scientific benefit of fighting off the sun or just for the look, eye black has been used by high-level athletes at least since the 1930s and forties, and probably before that in ways that were less formalized. Traditionally, players have smeared… Read more »
2026 College Football Playoff
Fighting for a College Football Playoff Championship, and Another Week Together
By Sara Jané | @saraajn_ Sports Capital Journalism Program PASADENA, Calif. – With their historic 38-3 victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl, the Indiana Hoosiers advance to the College Football Playoff semifinal against Oregon at the Peach Bowl next Friday night. While the prospect of a national championship is enticing, the players argue that… Read more »
To Absent Friends: The Enduring Impact of Indiana’s Forever Season
By Chris Schumerth | @ChrisSchumerth Sports Capital Journalism Program PASADENA, Calif. — Brad Bainbridge was laid off from his job last July. Now an Indianapolis resident and a longtime Indiana University football and basketball season ticket holder — with the exception of a couple stretches of his adult life living in North Carolina and California… Read more »
Indiana Dominates Alabama, 38-3, in First Rose Bowl Victory
By Chris Schumerth | @ChrisSchumerth Sports Capital Journalism Program PASADENA, Calif. – The rain was gone, the clouds had given way to sunshine, and in the first minute of the fourth quarter of an unforgettable 112th Rose Bowl, John Mellencamp’s “Hurts So Good” boomed throughout the grand old stadium. It was the perfect song for… Read more »
‘The Coolest Thing Ever, Right?’: Coogan Becomes Offensive Player of the Game
By Sara Jané | @saraajn_ Sports Capital Journalism Program PASADENA, Calif. – Indiana University is a Rose Bowl champion for the first time in program history. Facing one of college football’s traditional giants in Alabama, the Hoosiers delivered a masterclass in composure and execution to secure a 38-3 victory. Despite the decades-long gap since their… Read more »
How the Rose Bowl Became Part of an Expanded College Football Postseason
By Sara Jane | @saraajn_ Sports Capital Journalism Program LOS ANGELES — “The Granddaddy of Them All.” That is how the Rose Bowl was nicknamed by Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Keith Jackson, honoring its status as the oldest and most storied postseason college football game. For over a century, the reflection of the sunset on the San… Read more »
Smell the Roses? Headed for Pasadena, Cignetti’s Undefeated Hoosiers Mean Business
By Chris Schumerth | @ChrisSchumerth Sports Capital Journalism Program LOS ANGELES – Don’t be fooled by the pagentry of the Tournament of Roses, the traditions extending back more than a century, and the majesty of the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is within his rights to insist upon… Read more »
From the Archives: A Postcard from the Rose Bowl That Asks ‘Can I Do This?’
(Editor’s Note: Nick Moyle, now the Senior Trending Politics Writer at @njdotcom, covered the 2015 Rose Bowl, the first semifinal game of the inaugural College Football Playoff, as a M.A. student on the Indianapolis campus of Indiana University. His postcard describes the doubts that accompanied him to California, the confidence he gained during an intense… Read more »
One Name at a Time, Mendoza Helps Indiana Strengthen its Culture
By Sara Jane | @saraajn_ Sports Capital Journalism Program LOS ANGELES — As the No. 1 team in the nation prepares for the Rose Bowl against Alabama, the narrative surrounding the historic rise of the Indiana Hoosiers often focuses on explosive plays or defensive schemes. But inside the locker room, the players know the truth…. Read more »
The Business of Loyalty: Coogan’s Journey From Indiana Opponent to Leader
By Chris Schumerth | @ChrisSchumerth Sports Capital Journalism Program LOS ANGELES—Pat Coogan was an intriguing name to show up in the transfer portal a little more than eleven months ago. The 6-5, 310-pounder from Palo Heights, Illinois had started 26 games at center and left guard in his previous two seasons at Notre Dame, including… Read more »