In 2023, Indiana football won three games. Fast forward to now, they go a perfect 16-0 and are on top of the college football world for the first time in their history.
The Hoosiers headed into the national championship on January 19, 2026, facing off against the Miami Hurricanes. Interestingly enough, this game was played in Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the Miami Hurricanes, while they were considered the away team in their own stadium. This was due to the fact that Indiana had the highest ranking of seeds, considering the Hoosiers were the number one seed facing off against the ten seed.
The Miami Hurricanes came into the game having just two losses on the season, which were both to unranked opponents in the Louisville Cardinals and Southern Methodist Mustangs (SMU). With these losses, many felt Miami did not deserve a spot in the playoffs to begin with, favoring a team like Notre Dame ahead of them. Ultimately, Miami was given the ten seed and never looked back.
Miami began the playoffs with a win against the Texas A&M Aggies, thanks to their defense shutting down what was a very solid offense, holding them to just three points. They would then play in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl against the reigning and favored national champion, the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Hurricanes’ defense again was able to raise them to victory, holding the Buckeyes offense to 14 points and forcing key interceptions, with one being returned for a touchdown. Miami would then take a nailbiter against the Ole Miss Rebels thanks to a go-ahead rushing touchdown from quarterback Carson Beck, earning them a ticket to the national title.
The Indiana Hoosiers, on the other hand, had one of the most dominant seasons. Indiana is led by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who threw forty-one touchdowns and won the Heisman Trophy. The Hoosiers finished the regular season with zero losses and won the BIG Ten Championship against the favored Ohio State Buckeyes. There were many concerns about teams that had earned a bye heading into the playoffs, as no team with one had ever advanced to the next round. Indiana immediately shut down that theory, winning their game in the Rose Bowl by an astounding thirty-five points against the Alabama Crimson Tide. But Indiana was not done; they would then head to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl against the Oregon Ducks. Here, Indiana would score a sensational 56 points and win this game by thirty-four points, which would grant them a ticket to the title.
The hype was real for both of these teams as they headed into the biggest game of the college football season. Fans knew this was going to be a battle, and they were not at all disappointed.
The first half of this game was very quiet as both teams looked to find their rhythm. This was until Indiana had a fourteen-play, 85-yard drive, which would give them a touchdown and put them up ten to zero. Miami would miss a field goal before halftime, giving Indiana a ten-to-zero lead going into halftime.
Once the game resumed, running back Mark Fletcher Jr. ran in a 57-yard touchdown, giving the Hurricanes hope.
Soon after, Indiana would block a punt that gave them back a ten-point lead. Miami would not be phased by this, though, as Fletcher Jr. would find the end zone once more from three yards out to cut Indiana’s lead to three.
Indiana would get the ball back next, but soon would face a crucial fourth-down play. Mendoza would not hesitate to throw a beautiful ball to wide receiver Charlie Becker to convert. Then, Indiana would have once again tried to go for it on fourth down, this time needing just four yards from the Miami twelve-yard line. Fernando Mendoza would have his ‘Heisman moment’ as he miraculously bullied his way through defenders and dove his way into the endzone to give Indiana a humongous touchdown.
Miami, in just two minutes, would find the endzone thanks to electric freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney.
Following this, Indiana would add a field goal to make this a six-point ball game with just one minute and forty-two seconds left for Miami to possibly score a touchdown. With the help of a roughing penalty, the passer penalty, and some conservative throws from Beck, the Hurricanes had just crossed midfield and had 52 seconds left to score. From there, Carson Beck would drop back and underthrow a ball that would be intercepted by defensive back Jamari Sharpe.
This play would ultimately earn the Hoosiers their first national championship in school history and mark the end of their perfect 16-0 season. Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti, known for not showing emotions, could not help but let out a huge smile after his team won on the biggest stage. Indiana is now considered one of the favorites to win another title next year, possibly. Could this be the beginning of something special in Bloomington, Indiana?
