Game preview: IU football clashes with Miami (FL) in CFP national championship game

Bain pash rush.

MIAMI – No. 1 Indiana football plays its final game on Monday night against No. 10 Miami (FL) in the national championship game of the College Football Playoff.

The Hoosiers walloped No. 5 Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl on Friday, January 9. The Hurricanes scored late to outlast No. 6 Ole Miss 31-27 the day prior, winning the Fiesta Bowl.

Indiana is making its first-ever title game appearance while Miami returns for the eighth time and first in the CFP era.

Ahead of Monday night, here is Inside the Hall’s preview of the national title bout between the Hoosiers and Hurricanes.

Game information

Who: No. 1 Indiana (15-0, 11-0 in Big Ten) vs. No. 10 Miami (13-2, 6-2 in ACC)
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
When: Monday, January 19, 2026. 7:30 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN, Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Holly Rowe & Molly McGrath (sideline)
Radio: Don Fischer (Play-By-Play), Buck Suhr (Analyst)
The line: Indiana -8.5, Over/Under 47.5 (DraftKings)
SP+ prediction: Indiana 30, Oregon 19 (68 percent chance of an IU win)

Meet the opponent

Under fourth-year head coach Mario Cristobal, the Hurricanes were the last team into the playoff field, edging out Notre Dame for the 10 seed. Since then, the Miami alum has led his team to a trio of top-10 victories, earning its first trip to the championship game since 2001.

Fifth-year quarterback Carson Beck leads the Canes offense after spending four seasons at Georgia. This season, he’s completed 73.3 percent of his passes for 3,581 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The Miami offense sits in the top 25 in points per game at 30.6.

Freshman Malachi Toney leads the team in receptions, hauling in 99 catches for 1,089 yards and 9 touchdowns. Lethal in space, Toney is one of the fastest players in college football.

Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor live in the opponent’s backfields. The duo of edge rushers combined for 104 tackles and 19 sacks on the season. As a defense, the Hurricanes allow 14.8 points and 299.9 yards per game.

Miami is 35-18 overall under Cristobal and 2-0 in neutral-site games this season, winning the Cotton and Fiesta Bowls.

Series History: Indiana and Miami meet for the third time, with the first two games split in a series dating back to 1964. Miami won the last meeting 14-7 on October 21, 1966.

Injury Update

Indiana released its initial injury report on Friday afternoon. The lone Hoosier listed as questionable is kicker Brendan Franke.

The required availability report will be released two hours before kickoff, at 5:30 p.m. EST on Monday.

Storylines

Time of possession will be crucial

Curt Cignetti’s teams have gotten off to scorching hot starts on both sides of the football. Indiana sets the tone offensively from the jump. It’s been dominant in first quarters this season, outscoring opponents 108-20 in the game’s opening 15 minutes.

D’Angelo Ponds’ first-play pick 6 of Dante Moore in the Peach Bowl gave the defense a 14-13 advantage on opening drives this season.

Miami is a team that will go on long, methodical drives to wear down a defense. Its game-winning drive against Ole Miss went 75 yards in 15 plays. The Hurricanes average 34 minutes of possession.

Indiana averages 33:15 of possession per game, but has the edge because of the turnovers it forces, which create extra opportunities for the offense.

Putting Beck into pressure situations to make a bad throw will undoubtedly give Indiana an edge in time of possession and, in turn, help on the scoreboard.

Can Indiana limit Miami’s twitchy line?

Bain Jr. and Mesidor alone create havoc that Indiana’s offensive line hasn’t seen this season.

The Hoosiers’ lone weakness of the line is the revolving rotation of right tackles. Last week, Kahlil Benson logged the lowest PFF grade of the five linemen in pass protection. Benson’s insertion into the lineup was one week following Adedamola Ajani’s impressive outing in the Rose Bowl.

It’s likely there won’t be any changes and Benson will start at right tackle. It will be a potential weakness that the Hurricanes will look to exploit.

If Indiana can limit the two top-tier defensive linemen and keep Fernando Mendoza’s pocket clean, then it could have its way offensively against a weaker secondary.

Outlook

Two years ago, Monday night’s game was only a dream realized in a video game. Now, one win away from the first 16-0 season in modern college football history, Indiana is ready to meet the moment.

All season long, Cignetti’s team has been all business. From the way they practice to their winning ways on the field, everything stays the same. Playing in a de facto road game, it will be intriguing to see how the team responds.

The Hoosiers don’t make self-inflicted mistakes while forcing opponents to turn the ball over. Their turnover margin is a nation-best +21, averaging nearly two takeaways per game.

If Indiana wins the turnover battle, which they have all season, then there’s reason to believe the confetti will spray out in red and white ticker tape.

(Photo credit: Miami Athletics)

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