No. 10 Miami (13-2, CFP No. 10 seed) vs. No. 1 Indiana (15-0, CFP No. 1 seed)
Monday, 7:30 p.m. EST, ESPN
BetMGM college football odds: Indiana by 8 1/2.
Series record: Tied 1-1.
What’s at stake?
The winner claims the national championship in the second year of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. Indiana, long an also-ran in big-time college football, hired coach Curt Cignetti in 2024 and he has the Hoosiers on the verge of their first title. Miami, a powerhouse in the 1980s and '90s, is going for its sixth, and its first since 2001.
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Key matchup
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza vs. Miami defense. Mendoza is the Heisman Trophy winner who is coming back to his hometown to play for the title against a school that was less than a mile away from his childhood home. He'll need to watch out for pass rusher Rueben Bain, a first-round NFL prospect who had 8 1/2 sacks on a team that led the nation in that statistic. Miami cornerback Xavier Lucas will miss the first half after being kicked out of the semifinals for targeting. Mendoza is a master of picking out weak spots. Indiana receivers Omar Cooper and Elijah Sarratt each have 60-plus catches for 800-plus yards.
Players to watch
Indiana: Typical of a roster that almost makes it a point of pride for having no five-star recruits, almost any skill player could be a difference-maker. Maybe that's why Mendoza got so pumped when center Pat Coogan received MVP honors after Indiana's 38-3 thumping of Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Of the OL group Mendoza calls the “Hoggies,” left tackle Carter Smith might have the most NFL potential. If they're holding their own, then any receiver or running back Roman Hemby could go big.
Miami: Running back Mark Fletcher has topped 100 yards in two of the 'Canes three playoff victories. His career-long 56-yard run late in the fourth quarter set up the winning (and only) touchdown in a 10-3 victory over Texas A&M in the first round. Given that Indiana averages more than 42 points a game, Fletcher will have to produce some ground game and ball control for the Hurricanes to stay in it.
Facts & figures
These teams split two games in the 1960s and haven't played since Miami won 14-7 in ‘66. ... Miami coach Mario Cristobal was teammates with Mendoza’s dad, Fernando Sr., on the Christopher Columbus High School football team in the 1980s. ... Mendoza Jr., who also went to Columbus, briefly considered Miami when he was looking to transfer from Cal after last season, but chose Indiana instead. The Hurricanes landed Carson Beck from Georgia. ... Indiana led the country in all-time losses with 713 over 130-plus years of football before Cignetti took over prior to last season. Since then, the Hoosiers have only lost twice and Northwestern has surpassed them in the “L” column. ...LB Rolijah Hardy led Indiana in sacks this season with eight. ... The Hoosiers lead the country with a plus-21 turnover margin this season.
