National Championship Game Primer – Indiana Hoosiers vs. Miami Hurricanes

A cheerleader wearing a white and red uniform smiles while holding red pom-poms, with other cheerleaders in the background. — Jan 18, 2026; Miami, FL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers cheerleaders entertain fans during fan fest at the the Miami Beach Convention Center before the College Football National Championship against the Indiana Hoosiers in Miami Florida. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Written by: TJ Inman

What: #1 Indiana Hoosiers (15-0) vs. #10 Miami Hurricanes (13-2)

When: Monday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on ESPN and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.

Spread and Total: IU -8.5 | Total of 47.5

Series History: The Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes have played each other twice on the gridiron but those matchups occurred in 1964 and 1966. IU won the first meeting 28-14 with the Hurricanes prevailing 14-7 in the last time these two squared off.

What’s at Stake: The winner of this game will be the College Football National Champion. This is the sport’s biggest stage and there is no larger prize. A victory for Indiana would cement the 2025 Indiana Hoosiers as one of the best teams in the modern era of collegiate football while Miami is looking to secure the program’s first national title since 2001.

A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR

Owning the Trenches

Mario Cristobal strongly believes that the most physical team will set the tone and win more games than they lose. He set about building his Miami program in the trenches and his fourth Hurricanes’ squad is realizing his vision. “He wants us to always believe we’re the alphas and just continue to be the most violent team,” running back Mark Fletcher Jr. said after Miami won at Texas A&M. “That just goes to how we approach practice, how we approach the weight room, how we approach everything we do. We want to be the most violent team in everything we do. We take pride in that.” Miami’s offensive line averages 336 pounds and they have bullied their way to 4.25 yards per carry while the defensive front limits opponents to just 2.95 yards per rush. Now, a lot of ink has been spilled about how the Hurricanes are a smashmouth team that will physically pound you but Indiana ran the ball on 60.78% of plays while Miami runs on 53.54% (most similar to Illinois and Ohio State, if comparing to teams IU has played). The Hurricanes are great on the defensive line, ranking 13^th in sack percentage and that unit anchors a defense that surrenders the 5^th-fewest points per game. Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain combine for 19 sacks stud defensive back Keionte Scott has 13 tackles for loss as a heat-seeking missile from the secondary. These might be the two most physical teams in the country and establishing the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball will be a key factor for both coaching staffs.

2. The Time (of possession) Has Come

The Indiana Hoosiers and Miami Hurricanes are both among the leaders nationally in the amount of time they hold possession of the ball each game. Miami is fourth with 34:06 of possession per game while Indiana is sixth at 33:15. Both teams will be doing everything possible to keep their offense on the field and wear down the opposing defense. Indiana played six teams that place in the top 50 in time of possession (Wisconsin, Illinois, Oregon, Alabama, Iowa and Ohio State). None of those were as dominant as Miami in keeping possession but the time of possession played out as follows:

IU – 39:43 vs. Illinois – 20:17

IU – 27:18 vs. Iowa – 32:42

IU – 33:10 vs. Oregon – 26:50

IU – 33:58 vs. Wisconsin – 26:02

IU – 29:47 vs. Ohio State – 30:13

IU – 34:21 vs. Alabama – 25:39

IU – 31:13 vs. Oregon – 28:47

In short, the Hoosiers have played a number of teams that excel at winning the possession battle and have really only been significantly bested by the Iowa Hawkeyes while dominating the stat against Illinois, Oregon, Wisconsin and Alabama. In comparison, Miami has played only two teams in the top 50 of time of possession: Texas A&M and Ohio State:

Miami – 26:16 vs. Texas A&M – 33:44

Miami – 33:20 vs. Ohio State – 26:40

Make of that what you will but the Hurricanes went on a number of lengthy drives against Ohio State and Ole Miss and they excel on third down on both sides of the ball (17^th on offense and 11^th on defense).

3. Seize the Moment

The Miami Hurricanes have a storied football history but this is the school’s first National Championship Game appearance since 2001. As we all know, this season is unprecedented for the Indiana Hoosiers. Regardless of the past of the two schools, Monday night’s contest will be the biggest game and largest stage that any of these players will have played in or on. Will the players and coaches embrace the emotion and rise to the occasion or will they shrivel under the bright lights with the sport’s ultimate prize on the line?