Alabama
IU football game 14: Early facts, odds, projections, details vs. Alabama
Three wins to a national title.
Every game from here out is the biggest in IU football history.
In a national quarterfinal matchup, the No. 1 Hoosiers (13-0) will face No. 9 Alabama (11-3) on Thursday, Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. ET at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. (ESPN). The game marks the first ever meeting of these programs.
Indiana and Alabama could not have more different histories.
Alabama claims 18 national titles and 30 conference championships, while IU has never won a national title and can claim just three league titles. Alabama has the third-most wins in college football history, while the Hoosiers have the second-most losses.
But while the game is a historical mismatch, Indiana will take the field as the favorite.
Most sports books have IU as a 6.5 to 7-point favorite over the Crimson Tide in The Rose Bowl.
In the analytical models, ESPN’s Football Power Index gives No. 1 Indiana a 71.4% chance to beat No. 8 Alabama. ESPN’s SP+ likes No. 2 Indiana over No. 15 Alabama by 13.1 points.
Alabama played five games against teams currently ranked in the CFP Top-25: Two games against Georgia and Oklahoma, and a game against Vanderbilt. The Tide went 3-2 in those games.
FPI says Alabama played the sixth-hardest schedule this season, while IU played the 28th most difficult. Meanwhile IU has the No. 1 strength of record, and Alabama No. 10.
The lone common opponent for Indiana and Alabama is Wisconsin, a team both the Hoosiers and Crimson Tide beat on their respective home fields by 24 points.
Alabama is led by head coach Kalen DeBoer, who is in his second season in charge in Tuscaloosa. DeBoer is 20-7 in his two seasons at Alabama, and 124-19 overall as a head coach. He and former IU quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. led Washington to the national championship game in 2023.
DeBoer is one of several members of the Alabama coaching staff who were once coaches at Indiana.
DeBoer was the IU offensive coordinator in 2019. Crimson Tide quarterbacks coach Nick Sheridan was at IU from 2017-2021 and was offensive coordinator the last two years. Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack was at IU from 2018-2020 and defensive coordinator the last two years. Defensive backs coach Jason Jones was the IU safeties coach from 2020-2022. And strength coach David Ballou is an IU alumnus and was the IU strength coach from 2018-2020.
Alabama is No. 39 nationally in scoring offense, putting up 31.4 points per contest. Indiana is the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense at 10.8 points allowed per game.
The Crimson Tide are No. 13 in scoring defense, allowing just 17.9 an outing. IU is No. 4 in scoring offense at 41.9 points per contest. The most points scored by any team against Alabama this season was 31 by Florida State in a season-opening loss.
6-foot-2 junior quarterback Ty Simpson has completed 64.1 % of his throws for 3,500 yards, with 28 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Including sacks, he has rushed for just 76 yards and two touchdowns this season.
PFF grades Alabama as having the No. 31 offense, the No. 14 defense, and the No. 22 special teams in the country.
The weather shouldn’t be a factor in this game. Rain is rare in Southern California this time of year, and the temperature should be pleasant. The current long-term forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 67 degrees. We’ll check back on this as the game gets closer.
We will of course have much more on this game in the days to come.
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Alabama
Kevin Turner Prattville YMCA Golf Tournament welcomes Auburn, Alabama players as guest hosts
PRATTVILLE, Ala. (WSFA) – One of the most anticipated golf tournaments of the year happens Monday — the 29th annual Kevin Turner Prattville YMCA Golf Tournament.
This year’s guest hosts are both placekickers — former Alabama kicker Michael Proctor and current Auburn kicker Alex McPherson.
Proctor, a Pelham High graduate, came to the Crimson Tide in 1992, a year after Turner was drafted by the Patriots. But he still remembers the Prattville native’s infectious personality that resonated with teammates. “I had heard about the tournament through the years,” Proctor said. “It’s a big deal. Kevin is a big deal. When he was playing here, and even after his unfortunate passing, he’s well remembered and respected. Anything I can do to help anything in his name, I would be willing to do. I met him when I was there. He came back, obviously knowing people on the team that he had played with. Anything I can do for his name … I’m sure anybody at Alabama or anybody that knew him would be willing to do anything for him because he would do the same for you.”
McPherson, a Fort Payne High graduate, came to Auburn in 2022, weathered an inflammatory bowel disease that sidelined him in 2024, and is now preparing for his fifth year as the Tigers’ kicker. And even though he never knew Turner personally, he’s looking forward to the tournament.
“I’m honored,” McPherson said. “I heard what the tournament was about, Kevin and his story. I heard that one of the former Alabama kickers was going to be in the tournament and that they would love to have a kicker from Auburn. They thought that I would be a great fit.”
Proctor was recruited as one of the nation’s top prep kickers and went through a high school and collegiate career where he made 184 of 185 extra points. He kicked a then-record 60-yard field goal at Pelham and nine of his 26 field goals were longer than 50 yards. He finished a four-year career as the Crimson Tide’s second leading scorer with 326 points, earning All-American honors in 1993 and 1994 after winning a national championship in 1992 and returning as the Southeastern Conference’s top kicker a year later.
McPherson was recruited as one of the nation’s top kickers and kicked a record 61-yard field goal in high school before joining the Tigers. Like Proctor, his breakout year came as a sophomore (in 2023) where he made 13 of 13 field goal attempts and 40 of 40 extra point attempts in becoming a Lou Groza Award semifinalist.
Turner went through a five-year battle with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), which was triggered by CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a disease that hits home with many collegiate players from that era who witnessed it first with Turner and more recently with former Tide running back Kerry Goode.
The tournament helps fund the “Coach A Child Scholarship Fund Campaign” which provides financial aid to make YMCA services available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
The Prattville YMCA has provided financial aid to more than 3,300 people, many of them children, at a cost of more than $400,000. This year, the goal is to raise $285,000 for the Coach A Child Fund Campaign.
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Alabama
Alabama softball No. 1 overall seed in NCAA Tournament: Who does Tide play?
Alabama softball is the cream of the crop heading into the 2026 NCAA softball tournament, cemented as the No. 1 overall seed for the first time in 16 years.
The Crimson Tide’s ranking means it will host a regional and, if it advances, a super regional. The regional field will consist of USC Upstate (36-21), Belmont (40-11) and SE Louisiana (46-14).
The Tuscaloosa Regional is double-elimination. Action will run through May 15-17 on SEC Network.
It marks the 27th straight NCAA Tournament appearance for Alabama and the 21st-straight season it is hosting a regional at Rhoads Stadium, not including the canceled 2020 season. The Crimson Tide has advanced to the Women’s College World Series 15 times and is looking to do so for the first time in two years.
Alabama has one national championship, which came in 2012.
Alabama is coming off a championship game loss in the SEC Tournament. Seven unanswered runs led to a 7-1 fall to Texas, securing the Longhorns their first SEC Softball Tournament title during their second year in the conference on Saturday, May 9.
Friday, May 15
- Game 1: Alabama vs. USC Upstate, noon CT
- Game 2: Belmont vs. SE Louisiana, 2:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 16
- Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, TBD
- Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, TBD
- Game 5: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser, TBD
Sunday, May 17
- Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, TBD
- Game 7: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser (if necessary), TBD
Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X at ameliahurley_ or reach her at ahurley@usatodayco.com.
Alabama
Alabama mom sentenced to life for hiring hitman to kill her child’s father over custody dispute
An Alabama woman was sentenced to life in prison Friday after authorities said she hired a hitman to kill her child’s father in a custody dispute.
Jaclyn Skuce, 43, of Madison, was convicted of capital murder after hiring a man to kill the child’s father in order to prevent him from gaining custody or further visitation, the Morgan County District Attorney’s Office said.
The Hartselle Police Department was dispatched on July 24, 2020, to a residence for a welfare check after Anthony Larry Sheppard failed to appear in court for a scheduled custody hearing.
His attorney had asked officers to check on him, investigators said.
Upon arrival, police discovered Sheppard’s storm door shattered and the main door ajar.
Officers later found Sheppard dead with multiple gunshot wounds.
Investigators determined that Skuce hired Logan Delp to kill Sheppard in order to prevent him from gaining custody or further visitation with his child.
Prosecutors said Skuce used social media to hire the hitman, who lived in Hartselle, according to the Hartselle Enquirer. She allegedly offered to pay $30,000.
“There are never any winners in a case like this,” Chief Assistant District Attorney Garrick Vickery said following the verdict.
“This jury was incredibly thorough and took their time to make sure they made the right decision, both for Mr. Sheppard and for the defendant.”
Vickery added, “We are glad that they convicted her for the choice she made to take Mr. Sheppard away from his family.”
Skuce was found guilty of three counts of capital murder: murder for hire, murder of a witness, and murder committed by shooting into an occupied dwelling.
Four other defendants have been charged with capital murder in connection with Sheppard’s death.
Delp was convicted of capital murder in October 2025, the DA’s office said. Another defendant has pleaded guilty, and two others are awaiting trial.
Skuce will be imprisoned without the possibility of parole in the Alabama Department of Corrections.
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