The mouthwatering College Football Playoff game between Indiana and Alabama has been thrown into chaos after torrential downpours in California.
No. 1 ranked Indiana and The Crimson Tide are due to collide in the Rose Bowl on Thursday at the iconic venue of the same name in Pasadena.
But heavy rainfall has left the stadium completely flooded with just hours to go until kickoff at 1pm local time.
Stadium workers were seen desperately sweeping away the standing water that had covered the field.
They were also frantically putting covers on top of the turf in a desperate attempt to protect it.
The Crimson Tide, traditionally a college football powerhouse, are the underdogs against unbeaten Indiana after their remarkable season with Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
The College Football Playoff game between Indiana and Alabama has been thrown into chaos
Heavy rainfall has left the stadium completely flooded with just hours to go until kickoff
Workers were putting covers on the turf in a desperate attempt to protect it ready for the game
No. 1 ranked Indiana and The Crimson Tide are due to play in the Rose Bowl at the iconic venue
Indiana is the CFP’s top seed and the Big Ten champion after its spectacular regular season culminated with a victory over Ohio State in the conference title game.
The Hoosiers are in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1968, and they’re the AP’s No. 1 team for the first time – a distinction Alabama has held 141 times.
The Hoosiers made the Playoff last season, but the Rose Bowl is the CFP debut for Mendoza, the California transfer who has taken Indiana´s offense to an elite level.
‘We want to win the national championship, but playing in the Rose Bowl, getting a chance to play a historic team like Alabama, it’s something that’s really important to appreciate,’ Mendoza said.
‘The Big Ten championship was sweet, and it left a good taste in our mouth, but we’ve had a month for Coach Cignetti to light a fire under us and remind us we need to win the Rose Bowl. If we don’t, this season was great, but it isn’t what we want it to be.’
More to follow.
