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Here\u2019s everything you need to know for Monday night\u2019s game.<\/p>\n
National championship game: No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 10 Miami<\/p>\n
Indiana (15-0): The Hoosiers have been a playoff steamroller. No team has done what Indiana has done over its first two games of this postseason. Not only is Indiana the only team to win a game after getting a first-round bye in the 12-team playoff format, the Hoosiers have dominated. Indiana has outscored Alabama and Oregon 94-25 after a 38-3 win over the Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl<\/a> and a 56-22 victory over the Ducks in the Peach Bowl<\/a>.<\/p>\n Over the whole season, Indiana has outscored opponents by 31.5 points per game. Only North Texas scores more points per game. Only Ohio State gives up fewer points per game.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Miami (13-2): The Hurricanes have won seven consecutive games after their 26-20 overtime loss at SMU<\/a>. Just two of those wins have been by one possession \u2014 and both of those came in the College Football Playoff. The Hurricanes won 10-3 in the first round at No. 7 Texas A&M<\/a> before beating No. 6 Ole Miss 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl<\/a>. In between, Miami took down Ohio State 24-14 with the help of a pick-6 from Keionte Scott that flipped the game in the first half.<\/p>\n No. 10 Miami faces No. 1 Indiana in the national championship game on Monday night. (Bruno Rouby\/Yahoo Sports)<\/p>\n How the QBs stack up<\/p>\n Carson Beck needs to be more like the QB he was against Ole Miss for the Hurricanes to have a chance.<\/p>\n Beck was 23-of-37 passing for 268 yards with two passing touchdowns and an interception against the Rebels. Oh, he also rushed for the game-winning score with 18 seconds left.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n His yardage total in the Fiesta Bowl was more than he had thrown for in the first two playoff games \u2026 combined. Over the course of the first-round game against Texas A&M and the Cotton Bowl against the Buckeyes, Beck was 33 of 46 for 241 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n Miami is 12-0 in games where Beck has thrown one or fewer interceptions and 1-2 when he has multiple picks. That only win came against USF, when he threw for 340 yards and three scores while having two interceptions and five incompletions.<\/p>\n Against Louisville, Beck threw four interceptions in the Hurricanes\u2019 24-21 loss. Two games later, Beck had two interceptions \u2014 including on Miami\u2019s OT possession \u2014 in that loss to the Mustangs.<\/p>\n Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza has thrown 41 TDs and six interceptions. Those six picks have been spread across six games.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Mendoza\u2019s season has been historic \u2014 and not just because he won the Heisman. He\u2019s 31-of-36 passing for 369 yards and eight touchdowns over Indiana\u2019s two playoff wins. Yes, he\u2019s thrown five incompletions and eight touchdowns. In both the Rose Bowl and the Peach Bowl, Mendoza had more TD passes than incompletions.<\/p>\n He\u2019s now done that five times this season and has another game with four touchdowns and four incompletions. Nearly every quarterback has more incompletions than touchdown passes on a weekly basis. That\u2019s only happened 60% of the time for Mendoza this season.<\/p>\n Players to watch<\/p>\n Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr.: The junior has had a relatively quiet postseason. Cooper is Indiana\u2019s leading receiver with 64 catches for 866 yards and 13 scores but hasn\u2019t added much to those stats over the past three games.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n After injuring his ankle in the Big Ten title game against Ohio State and going without a catch, Cooper has six catches for 62 yards and two scores in the College Football Playoff. To be fair, the Hoosiers haven\u2019t really needed him. Indiana has rushed for 400 yards and four scores in those games.<\/p>\n![\"No.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/941ec2f0-f48f-11f0-b377-b7fde336cb77.jpeg\"\/)
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