Both teams are on the verge of history in Miami as the Hoosiers meet with the Hurricanes with a chance to take glory in the 2026 National Championship game at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
It’s been a season full of remarkable stories in College Football. Ohio State beating Michigan in The Game for the first time in 2,189 days, Lane Kiffin’s dramatic Ole Miss departure to SEC rivals LSU, and even UCLA and Northwestern both taking down powerhouse school Penn State. But the greatest story is still being written.
For the first time in its 139 year history, the Indiana Hoosiers will be playing for the title of National Champions. A remarkable turnaround from a school that before the start of the season held the most amount of losses in FBS history.
It’s a team led by their first Heisman winner and quarterback sensation, Fernando Mendoza, who leads the FBS with 41 Touchdown passes. And revolutionary coach Curt Cignetti, who has, within two years, taken the Hoosiers to the Big Ten championship, the Rose Bowl, and now the biggest of them all, the National Championship game. Cignetti has also committed himself to IU’S program, signing an eight-year deal in October.
Speaking before tonight’s game to ESPN, Cignetti told the College Football world to “get over it”, as many still can’t grasp IU being the number one-ranked team in the country, and competing for a National Championship.
Cignetti has created a Footballing powerhouse, mixing the best defence in the country with a spread offence with a strong pass and run game. One in which the Hoosiers have outscored Alabama and Oregon in the CFP 94 to 25.
Indiana will take on another team on the verge of creating history, the Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes become the first team since the creation of the yearly National Championship game in 1998 to play in their home stadium, and can become the first to win.
It’s been a rocky road to success at Miami for quarterback Carson Beck. Beck sat on the bench for Georgia as Stetson Bennett led the Bulldogs to the 2023 National Championship, and finally got his chance in 2024, leading the ‘Dogs to an SEC championship game, which Georgia would win despite Beck’s Elbow injury in the first half.
After the Bulldogs lost to Notre Dame in the Peach Bowl and Beck underwent elbow surgery, he withdrew his declaration for the NFL draft and decided to move to Miami and join the Hurricanes. He and coach Mario Cristobal led the Florida side to a 10-2 record in the regular season, earning themselves a spot in the CFP playoffs, beating out Notre Dame.
The Hurricanes would go into College Station and beat Texas A&M, beat No. 2-ranked Ohio State, and a late Beck rush Touchdown to beat Ole Miss to create a dream playoff run that leads back to their home town and their own stadium.
The ‘Canes are lead also by a stellar defence, leading the nation with 46 sacks across the year, and the 5th fewest points allowed per game, but it’s going to be some test if they’re to stop Mendoza and the likes of Omar Cooper Jr., Elijah Sarratt and Charlie Becker.
It’s also quite fitting that Miami, hosting a National Championship, has Cuban-Americans shaping the game on either side of the ball. Coach Cristobal became the first Cuban-American to coach FBS football at FIU in 2006.
The Hoosiers quarterback also hails from Cuban descent. All of Mendoza’s grandparents are from Cuba, and even spoke some Spanish during his Heisman speech.
Both teams have the chance to rewrite College Footballing history. It depends on if Miami becomes the first team since the 1998 inception of yearly National Championship games to win at home, or Indiana, to quite frankly, cap off one of the greatest turnarounds in sports history.
