On Monday night, the CFP national championship game will feature the No. 1-ranked Indiana Hoosiers (15-0) and the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (13-2).

Before the season, the Hoosiers had 100-to-1 odds to win the national championship; however, they have proven everyone, including college football fans and oddsmakers, wrong with their play on the field.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes nearly missed the CFP altogether, narrowly securing the final at-large bid over Notre Dame, who they beat 27-24 earlier in the season.

The time is here for one of these unlikely teams to win a championship.

Entering this game, the Hoosiers are 8.5-point favorites over the Hurricanes, even though the venue is at Hard Rock Stadium — Miami’s home field.

Further, oddsmakers have placed the over/under at 47.5 points, a healthy total considering these are two of the best defenses in the country.

Will the Hoosiers cement their legacy as one of the greatest teams (and biggest underdogs) in college football history? Or will the Hurricanes prove that “The U” is back once and for all?

Keep reading for our College Football Playoff National Championship game prediction for the Indiana Hoosiers vs. Miami Hurricanes.

Indiana vs. Miami Predictions and best betsIndiana -8.5: -110 at FanDuelKaelon Black anytime TD: -112 at Caesars

*Note: Odds are based on the best value our experts find as of publication; check lines closer to game time to ensure you get the best odds.

Indiana -8.5

Are the Indiana Hoosiers “inevitable”? Some people seem to think so.

And it is difficult to disagree with them after the Hoosiers walloped Alabama and Oregon by a combined 69 points through their first two games of the College Football Playoff.

Indiana is one of the few teams in recent history with no weaknesses and a whole bunch of strengths.

Penalties could quickly change the momentum in this game. The Hoosiers are tied for third in the country in penalties per game, while Miami ranks 113th.

Another differentiator for me is quarterback play. When Beck is kept clean, he can make the throws to push Miami across the finish line against good teams.

However, Beck can be prone to mistakes when the pocket collapses, and Indiana’s defensive unit ranks third in the country in pressure rate, making this a potentially disastrous matchup.

Miami lived in third-and-long during its last game against Ole Miss and got away with it due to the Rebels’ lackadaisical defense, but that won’t be the case against a team like Indiana on Monday night.

I also love the matchup of Indiana DB D’Angelo Ponds lining up across from Miami superstar freshman WR Malachi Toney. Ponds is physical, fast, and does not miss open field tackles, which is one of the things that makes Toney great.

If Toney can’t get free in open space and this elite Indiana front four shuts downMiami RB Mark Fletcher in the run game, it’s challenging to see how Miami will be able to score.

The only potential drawback for Indiana backers is the fact that the Hurricanes have two of the best pass rushers in the country in Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain Jr.

Still, Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza gets the ball out fast and always moves up in the pocket when pressure comes to avoid taking drive-stopping sacks.

I’ll lay the points with the Hoosiers on Monday night.

Kaelon Black anytime TD

Indiana RB Kaelon Black has been an absolute truck in IU’s run game.

Black has averaged 5.7 yards per attempt, rushing for nearly 1,000 yards despite splitting carries with Roman Hemby.

Recently, Black has been seemingly magnetized to the endzone, scoring seven touchdowns over his past seven games; he has at least one rushing touchdown in five of those outings.

Miami’s front four is terrific; however, if Black can get past the Hurricanes’ defensive line, their tackling in the secondary can be suspect, as evidenced by Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy’s early breakaway touchdown last week.

Indiana vs. Miami moneyline odds analysisWhy Indiana could win as the favorite

Best odds: -335 at Caesars

The Hoosiers are a freight train. They are unmovable, play the game exactly how they want to, and will do so until they “break your will.”

Indiana’s trench play on both sides of the ball is exceptional. In fact, excluding Navy, Army, Air Force, and Group of 5 schools, the Hoosiers rank third in rushing yards per game and 12th in yards per rush attempt.

On the other side of the ball, Indiana holds opponents to the third-fewest rushing yards per game, and in its past three games, opposing teams have averaged an astoundingly low 58 yards per game.

In addition to their elite run game, the Hoosiers have Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza under center and a trio of incredibly dangerous receiving weapons, including Charlie Becker, Elijah Sarratt, and Omar Cooper Jr.

Defensively, Indiana has been nothing short of superb, holding its past three opponents (Oregon, Alabama, and Ohio State) to 11.7 points per game, a shockingly low average considering they are all CFP teams.

Why Miami could win as the underdog

Best odds: +280 at BetMGM

Miami is one of the few teams that can compete with Indiana’s play in the trenches.

The Hurricanes have incredible size on their offensive line and do a terrific job of clearing lanes for star running back Mark Fletcher Jr.

Another superstar skill position player for the Hurricanes is Malachi Toney, one of the best true freshman receivers in college football. Toney possesses game-breaking speed in the open field and can slip out of tackles as well as anyone in the sport.

Additionally, Miami has Carson Beck under center, and he has played much better and more consistently during the Hurricanes’ CFP run. In fact, Beck has thrown four touchdowns to just one interception in that span. He also rushed for one touchdown.

The path to victory for the Hurricanes will be getting home to Mendoza early and often and keeping Indiana off schedule on offense. If they can do that and put a few touchdowns on the board, it could be a close game.

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