It\u2019s been eight years since we\u2019ve had a National Championship Game come down to the wire \u2014 when Tua Tagovailoa hit DeVonta Smith on a 41-yard strike in overtime to lift Alabama past Georgia. Since then, every title game has been decided by double digits, with the favorite winning the last six and covering the spread.<\/p>\n
The way Indiana hammered Alabama and Oregon in its first two Playoff games \u2014 and crushed most of its opponents during an undefeated season \u2014 is enough reason to buy into the Hoosiers doing the same here. When you consider that Miami dominated the line of scrimmage against Ole Miss but still needed to play defense on the final play of the semis to advance \u2026 well, it\u2019s hard to believe the Hurricanes would even stand a chance against Cignetti\u2019s finely tuned machine.<\/p>\n
Maybe that\u2019s exactly what happens. But I\u2019m choosing to believe Miami\u2019s dominance on the offensive and defensive lines has not been a mirage to this point.<\/p>\n
Yes, the Hurricanes are banged up and missing some valuable pieces in the secondary \u2014 starting cornerback Xavier Lucas (targeting) will miss the first half. Yes, Mendoza has thrown fewer incompletions (five) than touchdown passes (eight) in the Playoff. But I also saw Miami beat an Ohio State team that gave Indiana all it could handle in the Big Ten Championship Game. And it wasn\u2019t a fluke.<\/p>\n