College Football Playoff Articles - Page 2

I knew something was different back in December, sitting in New York City at the Heisman Trophy ceremony. In a room filled with college football’s biggest names and brightest lights, Fernando Mendoza carried himself—and represented Indiana—with a quiet confidence that stood out immediately. There was no sense of awe, no wide-eyed disbelief at the moment. […]

Miami football stepped into the national spotlight and walked away with a loss that will resonate well beyond the final whistle. The Hurricanes’ loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff Championship Game exposed flaws that lingered beneath the surface all season, finally emerging under the brightest lights. In a game marked by […]

The Indiana Hoosiers head coach, Curt Cignetti, finally allowed himself a moment to acknowledge what his program has become and what comes next after guiding the mighty Hoosiers to a historic College Football Playoff national championship. Following Indiana’s 27-21 victory over Miami Hurricanes in the CFP final, Cignetti spoke candidly about the shifting identity of […]

Indiana football completed a perfect 16–0 season Monday night. The College Football Playoff National Championship game produced a defining Fernando Mendoza moment, while commentary from Lil Wayne and the steady leadership of head coach Curt Cignetti added to the celebration on college football’s biggest stage. Indiana took down the Miami Hurricanes 27–21 at Hard Rock […]

The Indiana Hoosiers improbable rise reached its ultimate peak Monday night, and at the center of it all stood their superstar field-general Fernando Mendoza. The Hoosiers completed a historic 16-0 season by defeating Miami Hurricanes 27-21 at Hard Rock Stadium, capturing the program’s first national championship and cementing Mendoza’s legacy as one of the most […]

In the euphoric moments after Indiana football reached the summit of the sport, Curt Cignetti said exactly what everyone in Bloomington was thinking. Fresh off a 27-21 victory over the Miami Hurricanes in the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship, Cignetti stood at the podium and delivered a line that instantly entered Hoosiers lore. “We’re […]

In the quiet aftermath of a championship that slipped away by inches, Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal delivered a raw, emotional assessment of his team’s loss. Following Miami’s 27-21 defeat to the Indiana Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff National Championship, Cristobal shouldered the responsibility. “I’ll take the blame,” he said. “We’re one drive […]

Indiana football reached its historic peak Monday night as the Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes 27–21 to win the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza guided Indiana to the first 16–0 finish since the Yale Bulldogs in 1894 and delivered the defining moment with a hard-nosed 12-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-five in […]

In the euphoric hours following the Indiana Hoosiers’ stunning national championship triumph, one of Indiana’s most recognizable sports icons captured the moment perfectly. Caitlin Clark took to social media with a message that instantly turned heads. She demanded Hollywood treatment for head coach Curt Cignetti after Indiana’s title win over the Miami Hurricanes. “What a […]

The star running back Mark Fletcher Jr. delivered one of the defining moments of the College Football Playoff national championship, even as the Miami Hurricanes ultimately came up short against an unbeaten Indiana Hoosiers. After being completely shut out in the first half, the Hurricanes desperately needed a spark early in the third quarter. They […]

Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza lost blood and took multiple sacks versus Miami. The same team that denied the quarterback a walk-on spot before Mario Cristobal arrived, despite Mendoza living less than 10 minutes away from “The U.” Mendoza stood up each time after the violent field collisions. He engineered multiple long drives following each […]

Indiana football reached a historic milestone Monday night as the Hoosiers captured their first College Football Playoff National Championship with a 27–21 victory over the Miami Hurricanes, completing a perfect 16–0 season. Head coach Curt Cignetti capped the program’s breakthrough with a composed postgame moment that quickly resonated nationwide. After delivering Indiana’s first national title, […]

Fernando Mendoza came through in the clutch with a huge touchdown in the fourth quarter of the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers’ matchup against the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes in the CFP National Championship Game on Monday night. Going into the matchup, Indiana boasted a perfect record as the team needed to beat Miami to complete […]

Notre Dame football returned to the national spotlight Monday night for a lighter moment that quickly gained traction online. Fighting Irish fans widely shared Marcus Freeman’s response to a joke made by Pat McAfee on College GameDay, highlighting the head coach’s calm demeanor and reinforcing the program’s steady public image during the offseason. Prior to […]

The 2025 season has come to its conclusion, as Indiana has won the National Championship. Indiana opened the season ranked 17th in the pre-season Power Rankings, with doubts about their ability to contend with a difficult schedule. Not only did they contend, but they dominated. Miami started the season one spot in front of Indiana, […]

Miami (FL) football busted the lip of Fernando Mendoza early out the gate. Even getting Indiana fans and Curt Cignetti furious over a missed targeting call. And the Hurricanes kept pouring it out with their pass rush from there — hitting a rare stat against Mendoza. Miami tussled down the Heisman Trophy winner not once, […]

If you tuned in for an offensive fireworks show in Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship, you probably spent most of the first half checking your Wi-Fi connection. In what quickly became a defensive masterclass (or an offensive nightmare, depending on who you ask), the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers and No. 10 Miami Hurricanes […]

After turning in a goose egg during the first half of the College Football Playoff National Championship against Indiana, watching Fernando Mendoza and company put up 10 unanswered points, Miami got a much-needed offensive spark from running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who put seven on the board with a monstrous open-field run. Back within one […]

To say the typically ferocious rushing game of Miami was tamed in the first half of the College Football Playoff National Championship by the Indiana Hoosiers would be an understatement. After punishing foe after foe in the regular season and playoffs alike with a strong ground and pound attack to set up play-action passes from […]

Heading into the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship, the one defensive player Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers certainly highlighted above all others on the pregame scouting report was Reuben Bain Jr., the do-it-all front-seven player for the Miami Hurricanes. Joining his hometown team as a 24/7 Sports four-star recruit out of Miami Central, […]

During Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship, Miami football fell behind early due to immediate offensive issues. The Hurricanes opened the game 0-for-4 on third down while averaging just one yard per attempt. Those failures stalled every early possession and kept the defense on the field as the Indiana Hoosiers built a 10-0 lead […]

Defense and field position defined the early moments of the National Championship game as Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes traded cautious possessions before the Hoosiers finally broke through on the scoreboard. Indiana won the coin toss and elected to defer, choosing to play defense first and set the tone on the west end of the […]

The College Football Playoff concludes on Monday night with Indiana traveling to Miami to face the Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl, which is also a de facto home game for Miami. The game has massive expectations this season, with all roads leading to this. It is the culmination of the college football season, and ticket […]

Indiana football’s head coach eliminated anxieties ahead of the National Championship game in a unique way. Curt Cignetti overslept — making him well rested for Miami. Most college football coaches tend to rise before sunlight. Sometimes the thought of hoisting the crown keeps them up throughout the night. But CBS Sports’ Jenny Dell revealed what time […]

After a long, grueling college football season and a tightly-contested College Football Playoff, just Miami and Indiana remain. The two unlikely competitors will fight for the national championship on Monday night in Miami, with the Hurricanes getting essentially a home game with the trophy on the line. Miami barely snuck into the CFP field as […]

Indiana football sat as an 8.5-point favorite since the national championship game pairing. The Hoosiers are sparking “GOAT” conversations if they beat Miami. Yet Curt Cignetti dropped honesty about his team being the heavy favorite for Monday night. Cignetti denies looking at the Hurricanes as a heavy underdog. Even calling the opening spread “a set […]

Expansion talks for the College Football Playoff continue to be the main focus for next season. The committee held a meeting on Sunday, which didn’t result in any new information. However, it did spark rumors about what the Big Ten and SEC are potentially wanting in an expansion. Reports indicate that the Big Ten is […]

Just one game remains in the college football season, and Miami football is getting ready to do battle with top-seeded Indiana in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Both squads were very impressive in their semifinals, as Indiana blew out Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl and Miami showed plenty of grit and resilience […]

As the Indiana football team prepares for the national championship game, reporters are asking Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti about another famous Hoosiers coach. That is Bob Knight, who returned Indiana basketball into a national champion. Cignetti says he was a fan of the late Coach Knight. “I love the shenanigans (and) the faces at […]

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was born in Boston but grew up in Miami, making the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game a homecoming for him. Mendoza admitted that there are “emotions” to the homecoming game, but he is doing his best not to let them affect him. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner said he […]

Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti heads to Miami with a “wizard” label attached to him. What he’s done in Bloomington cements the wizardry — taking the losingest power conference team to the national title game. Even NFL teams are reportedly liking what they’ve seen from Cignetti. But does Cignetti embrace the “wizard” moniker? He […]

The Miami football team is looking to upset Indiana in the College Football Playoff national championship game. Miami is going in with a banged up roster, especially in the secondary. Ahead of Monday’s game, the Hurricanes are getting some good and bad news in terms of their injured players. “DB Damari Brown (left foot) is […]

The Indiana football team is preparing to play in the national championship game on Monday, of the College Football Playoff. Indiana is the no. 1 seed and plays Miami (FL), who has had an amazing run in the CFP. Despite that upcoming game, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti was asked about something else by reporters. […]

The Miami Hurricanes face a critical setback just days before the biggest game of their season. Miami football will be without starting tight end Elija Lofton for the College Football Playoff National Championship against the Indiana Hoosiers on Monday, January 19, 2026. Lofton was officially listed as out on the latest injury report. That removes […]

The Miami football team has had a fantastic season and will get a chance to cap it all off by playing Indiana at its home stadium in Miami. The Hoosiers have been dominant, and the other storylines surrounding it are setting up for an entertaining game. Mario Cristobal was born and raised in Miami and […]

The Indiana Hoosiers are set to take on the Miami Hurricanes in the National Championship on Monday, January 19. It’s a movie-like setting for quarterback Fernando Mendoza, as he will face off against the hometown program that never offered him a scholarship. Leading up to the contest, an old video of Mendoza attending a Miami […]

Indiana football is standing on the edge of history, and not just the program’s own. With one final game remaining in an erstwhile flawless season, the Hoosiers have an opportunity that once felt unimaginable. They can enter the greatest-of-all-time conversation alongside the legendary 2019 LSU Tigers. A decisive win in the College Football Playoff National […]

The stage is set for the National Championship game between Indiana and Miami on Jan. 19. For most, Indiana is the favorite to come out on top. That rings especially true among other college coaches, according to Bruce Feldman, who reported on a poll conducted by The Athletic. The coaches polled said Indiana would defeat […]

Indiana is a historically bad football program. The school has a record of 514-517-46 all-time, and has never won a national championship. Now, they have a chance to make school history by defeating Miami in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday night. Indiana has been nothing short of dominant this season. They […]