Is Curt Cignetti Tom Brady’s secret choice to coach the Raiders? Derek Carr has already given him the thumbs up<\/a><\/p>\nIndiana Hoosiers are chasing history. Long dismissed as an afterthought in major college football, Indiana hired Curt Cignetti in 2024–and now the Hoosiers are one win away from their first national title.<\/p>\n
Miami Hurricanes are chasing legacy. A dominant force in the 1980s and ’90s, Miami is seeking its sixth championship and its first since 2001, aiming to restore its place among college football’s elite.<\/p>\n
Key Matchup<\/p>\n
Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza vs. Miami Defense<\/p>\n
The Heisman Trophy winner returns to his hometown with everything on the line–playing for a title less than a mile from where he grew up. Mendoza’s poise and precision will be tested by a Miami defense that led the nation in sacks.<\/p>\n
All eyes will be on edge rusher Rueben Bain, a projected first-round NFL pick who recorded 8.5 sacks on a ferocious pass rush. Miami will be without cornerback Xavier Lucas for the first half due to a targeting ejection, a potential opening Mendoza is well equipped to exploit.<\/p>\n
Indiana’s aerial attack is loaded, with receivers Omar Cooper and Elijah Sarratt both surpassing 60 receptions and 800 yards this season.<\/p>\n
Players to Watch<\/p>\n
Indiana<\/p>\n
Indiana’s roster thrives on balance and toughness, not five-star hype. Mendoza famously celebrated when center Pat Coogan earned MVP honors after the Hoosiers demolished Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl.<\/p>\n
Up front, left tackle Carter Smith shows NFL potential, and if the line holds, running back Roman Hemby or any receiver could swing the game.<\/p>\n
Miami<\/p>\n
Miami’s path runs through the ground game. Running back Mark Fletcher has topped 100 yards twice in the playoffs, including a game-changing 56-yard run that set up the only touchdown in a 10-3 win over Texas A&M.<\/p>\n
Against an Indiana offense averaging 42+ points per game, Fletcher’s ability to control tempo may decide whether Miami can dictate the pace–or is forced into a shootout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The winner lifts the national championship in Year 2 of the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, but the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":689936,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[43092,100692,7,100691,19131,49,48,7799],"class_list":{"0":"post-689935","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-college-football-playoff-english","9":"tag-fernando-mendoza-english","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-indiana-hoosiers-english","12":"tag-miami-hurricanes-english","13":"tag-ncaa","14":"tag-ncaa-football","15":"tag-ncaaf-english"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115924583305929486","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=689935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/689935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/689936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=689935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=689935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=689935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}