Alabama Crimson Tide vs Indiana Hoosiers picks, predictions, odds, win probabilities for College Football Playoff Orange Bowl game Jan. 1. Who wins?

Both former Crimson Tide starters and high school teammates at Carver High School in Montgomery, Ala., the two players came to Tuscaloosa as part of the 2023 recruiting class. Smith saw the field at Alabama first, playing in nine games during Nick Saban's final season, while Russaw took a redshirt for that season.

The Crimson Tide were a controversial playoff selection after their 28-7 loss to Georgia in the SEC title game, but at the time, Herbstreit defended the CFP committee’s decision to include 9-3 Alabama over two-loss teams like the BYU Cougars and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

After a thrilling win over No. 7 seed Texas A&M on Dec. 20, the Hurricanes were operating a high-level across the board against the Buckeyes. Meanwhile, Ohio State's offense looked out of rhythm in its first live action since the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 6.

Then there's tough calls like Lane Kiffin and Kalen DeBoer. DeBoer is on a hot seat at Alabama and Kiffin is one of the hottest coaches in college football. But DeBoer is the one with a CFP coaching win.