It all comes down to this.
A long, thrilling and often chaotic 2025 college football season that began in late August in Ireland now has its national title matchup set, with No. 10 Miami taking on No. 1 Indiana in the College Football Playoff championship game on Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida (the Hurricanes’ home field).
As strange as it still feels to type this, the Hoosiers are the best and most complete team in the sport. Coach Curt Cignetti’s team is yet to lose this season, having bested any challenge that has been thrust at it over the past five months. Any doubts about Indiana’s championship mettle — most of which come from the name on its jerseys and the logo on its helmet, not the team itself — have been vanquished in the playoff, with a 38-3 throttling of No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl and a 56-22 beatdown of No. 5 Oregon in the Peach Bowl. In both wins, quarterback Fernando Mendoza looked every part of a Heisman Trophy winner and potential No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick, throwing more touchdowns (eight) than incompletions (five).
TOPPMEYER: Three letters explain how Indiana reached national championship
The final thing standing in its way of a “Hoosiers”-style ending is Miami, the final at-large selection for the playoff’s 12-team field. The Hurricanes have shown they belong among the country’s best teams, with wins against No. 7 Texas A&M, reigning national champion No. 2 Ohio State and, most recently, No. 6 Mississippi. Miami’s defense has been stingy, holding the Aggies and Buckeyes to a combined 17 points and keeping the Rebels’ explosive offense in check for much of the game. Offensively, it has ridden the legs of running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and the dynamic playmaking of freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney.
