MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Indiana won its first national championship in football Monday night with a 27-21 win over Miami inside Hard Rock Stadium. Here are three takeaways from the game.
Indiana makes history
With the win, Indiana became the first FBS team to complete a 16-0 season in the modern era, an accomplishment made possible by the expansion of the College Football Playoff two years ago. The only other 16-0 team in high-level college football history was Yale in 1894. North Dakota State also went 16-0 in 2019 in the FCS. The Hoosiers are not the best team ever, but they will have to be mentioned in the conversation now.
Mendoza earns his moment
Indiana controlled the entire first half to take a 10-0 lead, but Miami would not go away. It cut the deficit to one score three separate times in the second half, making it 24-21 midway through the fourth quarter. But Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza made several clutch plays. He hit wide receiver Charlie Becker on two back-shoulder fades to move the chains, and he scored Indiana’s final touchdown on a 12-yard run on fourth down.
It’s the Big Ten — again
After almost two decades of dominance by the SEC, the Big Ten has asserted its control. Indiana followed Michigan (2023) and Ohio State (2024) to give the conference its third straight national championship. The win marked the first time since 1940-42 that the Big Ten won three titles in a row. The last time the SEC went three straight years without winning it all was 1999-2002. How much longer is the streak going to last?