College Football Championship Showdown: Indiana vs. Miami

The culmination of the college football season arrives with the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship Game. This year's contest features a compelling matchup between the No. 1-ranked Indiana Hoosiers and the No. 10-ranked Miami Hurricanes. The game is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 19, and will be held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

A Season of Surprises and Dominance

The 2025 college football season began with 136 FBS teams, each vying for the ultimate prize. Now, only two remain. This is the second year the CFP is using a 12-team format. The bracket and matchups were announced on Sunday, Dec. Games are Dec. 19, 2025 to Jan. 19, 2026, with the first round on Dec. 19-20, quarterfinals on Dec. 31-Jan. 1, semifinals on Jan. 8-9 and finally the CFP National Championship Game on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Indiana's Ascent to the Top

Once known for having the most all-time losses in college football history, Indiana experienced a resurgence under coach Curt Cignetti. After getting ousted by Notre Dame in the first round of last year's CFP, the Hoosiers have been out for blood. Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza has led his team to a perfect record and national No. 1 seed, sailing through the bracket with ease. This season has been unlike any year the Hoosiers have ever had. Indiana has a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Fernando Mendoza leading the charge while putting together Rose Bowl and Peach Bowl wins on their way to the final game.

Miami's Upset-Filled Journey

Miami's path to the championship has been marked by overcoming adversity. The Hurricanes dropped conference games to Louisville and SMU mid-season, but never fell out of the national top 25. In his first year as a transfer, quarterback Carson Beck brought his squad into the CFP as the No. 10 seed, and pulled off upset after upset. Miami got into the College Football Playoff by the skin of their teeth and have made the most of it.Miami topped Texas A&M in the first round of the CFP, defeated the defending champs in Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, then stunned Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Quarterbacks

Fernando Mendoza: Indiana's Heisman Hero

Fernando Mendoza will be leading the charge for the Hoosiers. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy as he was an All-American for the first time and the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He has 3,349 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes in 15 games this season. Mendoza came to Indiana after spending two seasons with the California Golden Bears. He suggested that he believed head coach Curt Cignetti could help him get to where he wanted to be as a player. Now, they’re one win away from a national title.

Carson Beck: Miami's Transfer Leader

Carson Beck is the field general for the Hurricanes. He transferred to Miami after he had an illustrious career with the Georgia Bulldogs. Beck was on the Georgia team that won back-to-back national championships in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. However, he was a backup for Stetson Bennett at the time. Beck had a great career with Georgia, but as the Bulldogs moved on from Beck, he extended his career by one more season with his decision to transfer to Miami. He replaced Cam Ward as quarterback and helped take the Hurricanes to the national title. He has 3,581 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes in 15 games.

Road to the Championship

Playoff Results

Here's a recap of the playoff games leading up to the championship:

First Round (Dec. 19-20):

No. 9 Alabama 34, No. 8 Oklahoma 24
No. 10 Miami (Fla.) 10, No. 7 Texas A&M 3
No. 6 Ole Miss 41, No. 11 Tulane 10
No. 5 Oregon 51, No. 12 James Madison 34

Quarterfinals (Dec. 31-Jan. 1):

Cotton Bowl: No. 10 Miami 24, No. 2 Ohio State 14
Orange Bowl: No. 5 Oregon 23, No. 4 Texas Tech 0
Rose Bowl: No. 1 Indiana 38, No. 9 Alabama 3
Sugar Bowl: No. 6 Ole Miss 39, No. 3 Georgia 34

Semifinals (Jan. 8-9):

Fiesta Bowl: No. 10 Miami (Fla.) 31, No. 6 Ole Miss 27
Peach Bowl: No. 1 Indiana 56, No. 5 Oregon 22

Broadcast Information and MegaCast

How to Watch

The College Football Playoff national championship will be broadcast on ESPN. ET. Fans can tune into the CFP national championship live on ESPN. The network will have a handful of broadcast options across its "Megacast" for the game. Cord-cutters can also live stream the action on the ESPN app, or Fubo. Now you can watch ESPN without cable. Stream live NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, college sports, plus SportsCenter, First Take, and all your favorite ESPN shows-anytime, anywhere-only in the new ESPN app. Fubo offers a free trial for new subscribers, so you can try the service before you buy. Stream ESPN, ABC, CBS, Fox and 100+ top channels of live TV and sports without cable.

ESPN MegaCast

Along with the main telecast on ESPN, viewers will have a MegaCast available. We're talking 14 different presentations of the CFP National Championship Game across ESPN networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ACC Network, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN Unlimited (and available to stream on the ESPN App via ESPN DTC or Pay TV authentication).

ESPN MAIN TELECAST: Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will call their 12th straight CFP National Championship together, and their second in Miami, concluding their 30th college football season as a commentating team. Reporters Holly Rowe (Indiana) and Molly McGrath (Miami) will provide news and insight from the sidelines, as the duo returns to the ESPN telecast for the fifth consecutive year. ESPN rules analyst Bill Lemonnier will also cover Championship Monday.
Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show (ESPN2): Returning in 2026, the ever-popular Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show will offer entertaining, free-flowing commentary of the CFP National Championship on ESPN2, anchored by Pat McAfee, who will roam the sidelines of Hard Rock Stadium.
Coaches Film Room (ESPNU): After a four-year hiatus, fan favorite Coaches Film Room returns to the CFP MegaCast on ESPNU. Zubin Mehenti hosts alongside former head coaches Steve Addazio, Dave Clawson, Gene Chizik, and Mike Gundy, as well as rules analyst Jerry McGinn.
ACC Network: ACC Network continues with another round of Field Pass with ACC Huddle.
Command Center (ESPN Unlimited): Command Center features a multi-angle presentation with player and team statistics.
4K UHD Presentation: For the second straight season, the entire CFP National Championship will be presented in 4K.
All-22 (ESPN Unlimited): An altcast favorite, watch the game the same way players and coaches study film, with a vantage point high above the field of play.
High SkyCast (ESPN Unlimited): Giving fans a bird's-eye view of the action on the field, the High SkyCast angle will take viewers to the top of the spires at Hard Rock Stadium.
ESPN Radio: Sean McDonough announces his 10th CFP National Championship on ESPN Radio, joining analyst Greg McElroy, who will call his third after serving as a studio analyst at the event for several years. Lead ESPN Radio reporter Ian Fitzsimmons will return as one of ESPN Radio's sideline reporters once again, with ESPN/ABC reporter Quint Kessenich making his national championship game debut. ESPN officiating analyst and former longtime SEC referee Matt Austin will also contribute to the commentary.
ESPN Deportes: The Spanish-language call of the game will be available on ESPN Deportes, with Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega, Sebastian M.
Halftime Marching Band Performances (ESPN+): Returning for the 2026 edition, the halftime marching band performances at the College Football Playoff National Championship will be available on ESPN+.

Additional Viewing Options

SkyCast (ESPNEWS): SkyCast returns, highlighting the popular view from above the action and behind the offense on most plays.
Hometown Radio (ESPN Unlimited): A Championship MegaCast staple, fans can listen to their specific team's local radio broadcast, with audio feeds synced up with ESPN's Command Center presentation.

Radio Broadcast

Fans can listen to the CFP national championship live on SiriusXM channels 81 (Miami broadcast) and 84 (Indiana broadcast). New subscribers can listen to SiriusXM for free for four months.

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A Historic Matchup

Indiana's Quest for a First Title

The Hoosiers have never won a national title and rarely played in prestigious bowl games throughout the program’s history. This season has been unlike any year the Hoosiers have ever had.

Miami's Return to Glory

The Hurricanes have a long history of greatness in college football, having won national championships five times. But it’s been a long time since they’ve played for a title. Miami will be playing in their home stadium - Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Other Things to Know

Presidential Attendance

President Donald Trump is expected to be at the national championship on Monday night alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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