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The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship is headed to Indiana. Top-seeded Indiana won its first ever football championship on Monday, outlasting the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in a game that started murky but ended in a thriller. Things started relatively slow for both sides, as Indiana took just a 10-0 lead into halftime with Miami’s offense getting nothing going on the ground or over the top. But, as usual in low-scoring college first halves, the script flipped in the final two quarters. Miami woke up to put the pressure on the Hoosiers, but Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza stepped up and Hurricanes QB1 Carson Beck couldn’t. Beck had the chance to deliver a game-winning drive, but forced a deep pass that was picked off. Indiana held on 27-21, winning the program’s first ever football title in its debut appearance while Miami’s wait since 2001 persists, despite being at home in Hard Rock Stadium. Let’s analyze the game further with winners and losers: MORE COLLEGE FOOTBALL COVERAGE College Football Dec 19, 2025 Who has the most College Football Playoff appearances, championships? NCAA football Dec 9, 2024 These schools have the most Heisman Trophy winners in college football history College Football Dec 6, 2025 Indiana had the most losses in college football history. Now it's a championship contender. WINNER: Fernando Mendoza, Indiana The Heisman winner and potential No. 1 pick had all the eyes on him tonight. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but he displayed the grit and poise needed at the next level. Mendoza threw for 186 yards on 16 of 27 completions, while also rushing for the key 12-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He’ll still need to polish his game more to truly thrive in the NFL, especially if the Las Vegas Raiders believe he’s the QB1 that can elevate their trajectory. But for now, he can bask in the moment. LOSER: Carson Beck, Miami On the other hand, it was a slightly different story for Miami’s QB1. Carson Beck, 23, could’ve had his moment to change the narrative on his college career — and boost his potential draft odds in the process. He overcame a slow start and displayed much better command in the second half, finishing with 232 passing yards and a touchdown on 19 of 32 completions. But the lone pick might just summarize his five-year collegiate run best — a competitive college option but not at the level required to win the majors. WINNER: Mark Fletcher Jr., Miami Most eyes were on Mendoza’s legitimacy to go No. 1, but Miami had an opportunity to show off some of its skill players as well. Malachi Toney, a rising 18-year-old wideout, seized his moments and will be one to watch for the future. Junior running back Mark Fletcher Jr. also stood out, and he could even be NFL ready if he declared. Fletcher Jr. reflected Miami’s stagnant offense in the first half but helped open it up in the second, ending the game with 112 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. He enjoyed a career-best 57-yard run, also the second-longest touchdown in a BCS final. LOSER: Third-down efficiency Indiana’s defense ranked among the top in several defensive statistics this season, and getting off the field on third downs was a major reason why. The Hoosiers at one point limited Miami to being 0-for-6 on third downs. Miami finished with a 3-for-11 rate, while Indiana went 6-for-15. Miami’s defense delivered an underrated performance, but Mendoza helped chip at the margins where Beck couldn’t. Had the Hurricanes improved their rate in the first half, apart from the doinked field-goal try, this could’ve been a different ball game. WINNER: Curt Cignetti, Indiana In an era where there’s a power vacuum at the college football summit, Indiana might have something brewing. The Hoosiers are far from a football powerhouse, but they’ve flipped from being terrible to national champs in two years under Curt Cignetti. The 64-year-old is revered by his players and has built a sturdy culture beyond Mendoza,…

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What to KnowAfter just a field goal in the first quarter, Indiana scored the game’s first touchdown with about six minutes left in the second through tight end Riley Nowakowski powering the rock home.Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. suffered in the first half, but powered through for a 57-yard scoring run immediately in the second to make it 10-7.With the third quarter becoming a dogfight, a blocked punt landing in the end zone for Indiana increased the gap to 17-7. But Fletcher Jr. responded with his second score on the next drive.Hoosiers QB1 Fernando Mendoza made a memorable fourth-down touchdown run from 12 yards out, proving why he won the Heisman Trophy.Fifth-year quarterback Carson Beck, who left Georgia after four seasons, threw a costly pick on the Hurricanes’ final drive.Miami played underdog in front of a home crowd, as Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Dolphins, was the venue for the showdown.Indiana had never won the national championship. The 2026 appearance was also the program’s first in the final.Miami has won five national championships, but none since 2001. Along with the 2001 victory, the Hurricanes hoisted the trophy in 1983, 1987, 1989 and 1991. The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship Game was played between the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers and the No. 10-seeded Miami Hurricanes. Follow along for live updates.

Fans with tickets to Monday night’s College Football Playoff National Championship have been planning their arrival at Hard Rock Stadium for days. The Miami Hurricanes are set to face off against the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers at 7:30 p.m. South Florida Live 12 hours ago FanFest in Miami Beach ahead of Canes vs Hoosiers! College Football Playoff Jan 18 Trump, parking, and road closures: What to know about the CFP Championship Miami Hurricanes 12 hours ago Countdown to CFP National Championship: UM fans tailgate ahead of big game Before the game, continuous streams of red and orange were seen filing into the stadium all day, as several fans joined the tailgate celebrations, while others tried to avoid any traffic issues. People were happy to be there; the level of frustration is low. Whether they were coming to the party or were ready to see their beloved team in a long-awaited National Championship game, Indiana and Miami fans did whatever they had to do to make sure they made it to the stadium on time. “This is like a college holiday, a football holiday,” a fan said, Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex doubled as a ride-share pickup/drop-off location for those taking Uber or Lyft. Father and son Hoosier fans Ed and Kevin Mulcahey didn’t mind the one-mile walk to the stadium. “Worked out real well for us, better than coming here and trying to find a place to park,“ he said. Saul Spady, who flew in from Seattle to be here, was a little more critical of the hoops he had to jump through to get to the Hard Rock. “We are as tricky as hell, right?” Spady said. “This is the hardest stadium to get to in all of America. I’ve been to quite a few. You gotta park at a friend’s three miles away, then you take an Uber in, then your Uber drops you off 10 minutes away, so you can do a TV interview before tailgating. Miami was very smart on this one. Is it worth it? Yes, 100%.” Plenty of locals are trying to make an extra buck by allowing people to park in their yards. It’s one way to ease the traffic burden for those driving in. “Everybody comes by, and we do different things with people, my husband does the golf cart, we take people to the stadium,” Myriam Salley. Fans who spoke to NBC6 didn’t want to jinx their team or make wagers on who will win. “Either Miami is going to be heartbroken, or the Hoosiers will be crying red tears,” a fan said.