Any conversation about Indiana’s undefeated 13-0 record and No. 1 national ranking tends to include a, “yeah, but… what is their strength of schedule?”

The quality of teams Indiana has beaten in the Big Ten compared to what Alabama has faced in the SEC is a flashpoint topic among fans leading up to Thursday’s Rose Bowl quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff. Alabama has the hardest schedule of any playoff team to this point, No. 6 nationally in ESPN’s metrics, while Indiana is No. 28.

Does it matter at this point? At least one Indiana player thinks not.

“I haven’t really thought about it much,” linebacker Aiden Fisher, a first-team All-Big Ten selection this season, said Tuesday. “You have a great opportunity to prove your strength of schedule right now. We play Thursday against a really good football team. I think the strength of schedule conversation is kind of out the window now.

“You just got to look at it as a one-game season. How good is that strength of schedule at this point? Everybody’s strength of schedule should be good, playing in the playoffs with some really good teams one through 12. Great opportunity to kind of prove it right now.”

Indiana is one of the top two teams nationally in most computer metrics which take into account strength of opponents played. The Hoosiers are one of two teams remaining in the playoff with two wins against playoff teams still standing — at Oregon and vs. Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. Georgia also has two wins against quarterfinal playoff teams in Ole Miss and Alabama.

But the depth of Alabama’s schedule stands out over Alabama, with 10 of its previous 14 games coming against teams currently in the top 50 of ESPN’s Football Power Index. Indiana has played five such games.

“To be honest, as a group we don’t really talk about that too much at all,” Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt said of the difference. “We just got to go out there and play what we play. People are gonna talk, good or bad about us, regardless. It’s all about just focusing on us and going out and doing what we can do to win games.”

Indiana has beaten all nine teams it has faced this season which currently rank higher than the Hoosiers in strength of schedule. That includes Wisconsin, which had the nation’s hardest schedule to date by ESPN’s metrics. Indiana defeated Wisconsin, 31-7, at home while Alabama beat the Badgers, 38-14, at home.

Indiana offensive lineman Pat Coogan joined the Hoosiers this season after four years at Notre Dame, where he went 3-0 against SEC teams — a bowl win over South Carolina in 2022, a regular-season win at Texas A&M in 2024, and a Sugar Bowl win last season over Georgia.

“Obviously they’re all really dominant up front,” Coogan said of SEC teams. “It’s kind of how the conference runs. It’s always a great challenge. But yeah, it’s always an awesome football game at the end of the day. It’s gonna be a great challenge for us again. We’ve prepared for it, and we got to be ready to roll.”

Wider than the gap in strength of schedule between Alabama and Indiana is the difference in recruiting rankings; the Tide ranks No. 2 in 247 Sports’ talent composite while Indiana is No. 72, with only seven four stars and no five stars on its roster.

“We tune that type of stuff out,” said defensive back D’Angelo Ponds, a former three-star recruit from Florida who was a first-team All-Big Ten selection this season. “Those are for scoreboard-watchers and stuff like that. We look at the film and they have elite players, but we have elite players as well. I just feel we’re ready to compete with teams like that.”

Indiana defeated Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game earlier this month, and the Buckeyes rank No. 3 in the talent composite.

“There’s always going to doubters. There’s always going to be naysayers,” Coogan said. “But at the end of the day, we believe. This team believes in our capabilities and the sky is the limit. We know that within our locker room. Coach Cignetti has down a great job of implementing that mindset within our program and it’s just that never-wavering, unshakable belief that we play with.

“At the end of the day, that’s is huge for us. That sets us up to have success because we all know we’re never out of it. We’re always in it. We can play with anybody.”