Indiana, Miami Meet at Hard Rock for College Football Playoff National Championship
No. 1 Indiana (15-0) meets No. 10 Miami (13-2) at Hard Rock Stadium Jan. 19; Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza faces Carson Beck — high stakes tonight
Overview
Indiana (15-0), coached by Curt Cignetti, seeks its first national championship Monday at Hard Rock Stadium; Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza has thrown 41 touchdown passes with a 73% completion rate.
Miami (13-2) plays the title game in its home venue, relying on quarterback Carson Beck, workhorse Mark Fletcher Jr. and a ferocious pass rush to challenge Indiana's efficiency.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET Jan. 19; ESPN leads national coverage with MegaCast presentations across networks, and streaming is available via the ESPN app and services like Fubo.
Live-game developments: Indiana led 10-0 at halftime while outgaining Miami; a 50-yard kick hit the upright, and Mark Fletcher Jr. later scored on a 57-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit.
The matchup highlights college football's shifting landscape: transfer-portal mobility and large NIL deals have increased parity but sparked regulatory, ethical and gambling-related concerns.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources collectively frame the game as an Indiana-driven narrative, emphasizing its Cinderella comeback and systemic significance. Editorial choices — selecting multiple Indiana-leaning experts, opening on Indiana’s undefeated turnaround, and highlighting loaded phrases like “most stunning turnaround” and “dawn of a new era” — amplify that theme, while Miami’s strengths appear mainly in quoted source analysis.
Sources (7)
FAQ
Fernando Mendoza is Indiana's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback who has thrown 41 touchdown passes with a 73% completion rate this season. He aims to become the eighth player in CFP/BCS eras to win both the Heisman and a national title in the same year.
Undefeated Indiana (15-0) dominated with a 38-3 win over Alabama and 56-22 over Oregon. Miami (13-2) upset Texas A&M 10-3 and Ohio State 24-14.[2]
Miami ranks high offensively with 512.4 total yards/game and 285.6 rushing yards/game, leading NCAA with 47 sacks. Indiana excels defensively, allowing just 9.3 points/game and 219.1 yards/game, with strong efficiency like 0.199 points/play.
Indiana led 10-0 at halftime, outgaining Miami. Miami responded with a 57-yard touchdown run by Mark Fletcher Jr. after a 50-yard kick hit the upright.[story]
The game reflects college football's shifting landscape due to transfer portal mobility, large NIL deals increasing parity, but raising regulatory, ethical, and gambling-related concerns.[story]
History
3 sources