A historic Indiana or the restored U -- who has the edge ...

What’s Happening

So basically Will the Hoosiers cap an undefeated season, or can the Canes pull off a stunner?

Here are the keys to the game. CFP National Championship preview: Keys to victory for Indiana, Miami play Where does Indiana stack up in CFB history? (and honestly, same)

(2:12) Heather Dinich and Paul Finebaum discuss how winning a national championship would seal Indiana’s spot in college football history.

The Details

(2:12) Bill Connelly Jan 16, 2026, 07:00 AM ET Close Bill Connelly is a writer for ESPN. He covers college football, soccer and tennis.

He has been at ESPN since 2019. Follow on X Email Print Open Extended Reactions The 2025 college football season was odd from the start.

Why This Matters

Texas quarterback Arch Manning began the season as the least statistically proven Heisman favorite of all time and never came particularly close to (unreasonable) expectations. The sport’s most proven entities in a year of change were Clemson (preseason No. 2); the Tigers began the season 1-3 and only ever rebounded so much, while the Nittany Lions took an L six straight midseason games and fired head coach James Franklin.

The sports world never stops delivering these kinds of storylines.

Key Takeaways

• Sure, defending national champion Ohio State spent most of the season ranked No.
• 1, but there was a steady undercurrent of uniqueness.
• Indiana — which began the season as the losingest major program in the history of college football — was the only team to get to 13-0.
• Texas Tech hadn’t clutched more than eight games in a season since 2009 but rode a brilliant transfer class to 12 wins and its first Big 12 title.

The Bottom Line

In Division III, Wisconsin-River Falls, which suffered a losing season every year from 2001 to 2019, upset powerhouse North Central to win the crown. In the last college football game of the season Monday night, preseason No.

What do you think about all this?