Indiana

Indiana completed one of the most improbable seasons in college football history, finishing 16–0 and winning the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship with a 27–21 victory over Miami. Behind Fernando Mendoza’s defining fourth-down touchdown run and a relentless defense, the Hoosiers went from long-time punchline to undeniable national champions.

The 2026 national title game sets up a surreal clash between No. 1 Indiana’s undefeated precision and No. 10 Miami’s chaos-driven belief on a charged, not-so-neutral stage. By night’s end, either history gets rewritten or the Hurricanes complete a long-awaited resurrection.

The College Football Playoff National Championship delivers peak chaos as undefeated No. 1 Indiana faces No. 10 Miami on the Hurricanes’ home field, a matchup nobody predicted and everyone now can’t look away from. With Indiana chasing a perfect-season legacy and Miami fighting to resurrect its dynasty under South Florida lights, history is guaranteed and order is optional.

Indiana turned its Peach Bowl semifinal into a demolition, scoring on the opening snap and overwhelming Oregon in a 56–22 rout that confirmed this unbeaten run is built on dominance, not novelty. With Fernando Mendoza surgical and the defense merciless, the Hoosiers didn’t just reach the national title game—they announced themselves as a final boss.

No. 2 Indiana crushed Maryland 55–10, forcing five turnovers and holding the Terps to just 37 rushing yards while racking up 588 yards of offense in a dominant, wire-to-wire statement win. The Hoosiers moved to 9–0 and tightened their grip on the Big Ten lead heading into next week’s matchup at Penn State.

Indiana outlasted Penn State 77–71 in a hard-fought Big Ten battle at The Palestra, led by Oumar Ballo’s 25-point, 13-rebound performance and Mackenzie Mgbako’s second-half surge. Despite a late comeback fueled by three-point shooting, Penn State’s cold start and poor free throw percentage proved too much to overcome.