On Monday, January 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL, the Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship 27-21. The No. 1 seed in the playoffs led by fan favorite quarterback Fernando Mendoza completed their historic season 16-0. They are the second team to go 16-0 all time and the first since 1894 Yale.
The Hoosiers jumped out to an early 10-0 lead and never looked back. Miami fought hard but was unable to complete the comeback. After Miami cut the lead to three points, Mendoza lived up to the title of Heisman Trophy winner and proved why he is likely to be the top pick in the NFL draft by rushing for a 12-yard touchdown on fourth down. This score put Indiana up 24-14 and was ultimately the game winning touchdown. With a chance for Miami to win the game on the final drive, Indiana’s Jamari Sharpe intercepted a pass from quarterback Carson Beck to seal the game for the Hoosiers.
Indiana had to endure many hard years before winning their first National Championship in school history. They only had three winning seasons from 1995-2023 before going 11-2 in the 2024 season. This success can be largely attributed to head coach Curt Cignetti. Cignetti was very successful at James Madison University and brought his winning ways to Bloomington. He turned the program around and led them back-to-back playoff appearances in his first two years, revitalizing the team that finished 3-9 in 2023. Given Cignetti’s success in just his first two seasons with Indiana, it’s safe to assume that his ever-serious facial expressions will be a common sight on the sidelines of playoff games for years to come.
Miami came close to not even making the College Football Playoffs at all. They were the last at large team to make the bracket, beating out Notre Dame for the final non-automatic spot. Some thought the Fighting Irish deserved a playoff spot, but Miami’s early season victory over Notre Dame was likely a significant factor in the eyes of the voters when they chose to give the nod to the Hurricanes. As the 10 seed, Miami had a gauntlet of a schedule just to make the National Championship. They won a defensive showdown at Texas A&M and then proceeded to upset the No. 2 seed Ohio State and No. 6 seed Ole Miss. Their physicality was their main strength throughout the playoffs, earning them a chance to vie for the national title. While they came up short in the end, the Hurricanes still had a tremendous season.
This was the second season of the 12-team playoff format, and with the rise of NIL, the landscape of college football is likely to keep changing. The structure of playoff byes changed this season from 2024, and the College Football Playoff Committee announced an agreement with Notre Dame that, starting next year, if they finish in the top 12 of the regular season rankings, they will automatically be included in the playoffs. Fans are divided about this as some feel like it gives an unfair preference to a team that is not part of a conference. Regardless, the 2026 college football season is sure to be an exciting one.
