Five Most Intriguing Storylines For Cfp National Championship Game

One of nan astir entertaining and captivating postseasons successful nan College Football Playoff era comes to a adjacent Monday nighttime pinch Miami and Indiana duking it retired for nan nationalist championship.

The No. 10-seeded Hurricanes (13-2) are playing connected their location section astatine Hard Rock Stadium successful Miami Gardens, Florida, but nan No. 1 Hoosiers (15-0) person astir casual assemblage shot fans down them arsenic they pursuit their first shot nationalist title.

Indiana is an 8.5-point favorite, per DraftKings Sportsbook, aft a ascendant postseason tally truthful acold successful beating Alabama by 35 points and Oregon by 34 points to get to this point.

But Miami has besides reached different level successful nan playoffs, particularly defensively, while winning a 10-3 slugfest connected nan roadworthy astatine No. 7 Texas A&M, dethroning reigning champion and No. 2 seed Ohio State 24-14, and past outlasting No. 6 Ole Miss 31-27.

RELATED: See our prediction for Indiana-Miami successful nan nationalist title game

Kickoff is group for 7:30 p.m. ET connected ESPN, and arsenic nan suspense builds toward crippled time, present are 5 last thoughts and storylines to group nan shape for this nationalist title showdown.

1. Is this nan astir compelling title crippled of nan CFP era?

The statement could beryllium made for this arsenic nan astir compelling nationalist title matchup of nan College Football Playoff era, which dates backmost to nan 2014 season.

No discourtesy to each of nan Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State championships, pinch those schools accounting for 9 of nan 11 nationalist titles nether nan CFP format (or formats, rather).

LSU's nationalist title tally successful 2019, capped by a 42-25 triumph complete Clemson, belongs successful nan speech simply because that Tigers squad is now regarded arsenic 1 of nan top and astir entertaining successful assemblage shot history.

Michigan completing an undefeated play 2 years agone for its first nationalist title successful 26 years makes nan list, but nan crippled itself was a spot of a dud arsenic nan Wolverines rolled complete Washington, 34-13.

The first 2 of 3 Alabama-Clemson nationalist title clashes, aft nan 2015 and 2016 seasons, merit consideration. It marked nan emergence of a caller assemblage shot power, and nan teams delivered 2 tight, melodramatic finishes and frenetic 4th quarters, pinch nan Crimson Tide winning nan first 1 45-40 and nan Tigers taking nan rematch 35-31 for their first nationalist title since nan 1981 season.

And, sure, nan first Alabama-Georgia CFP finale nan adjacent twelvemonth was ripe pinch intrigue arsenic it had not only nan afloat SEC spotlight but besides Nick Saban, recognized arsenic nan champion coach successful nan sport, battling retired his erstwhile prima adjunct Kirby Smart for a 26-23 overtime victory.

But from astatine slightest a axenic pregame matchup perspective, this is difficult to beat.

Miami, much than 2 decades removed from nan past of its 5 nationalist championships, is 1 measurement distant from reclaiming its perch atop nan sport, while being coached by an alum successful Mario Cristobal, who was portion of 2 of those title teams and now is trying to reconstruct nan aura of "The U."

But Indiana is nan top communicative successful assemblage shot history (more connected that again successful a moment), coach Curt Cignetti conscionable mightiness beryllium nan sport's existent successor to Saban (his erstwhile leader astatine Alabama), and nan Hoosiers person been outright ascendant this month.

Given that nan result Monday nighttime is either a erstwhile assemblage shot heavyweight returning to glory pinch its first nationalist title successful 24 years aliases Indiana winning its first-ever shot nationalist title to complete nan astir improbable two-year tally successful nan sport's history, this CFP finale is difficult to apical from a communicative standpoint.

2. Final position connected Indiana's improbable rise

The communicative is well-told by now, but that doesn't make it immoderate little amazing.

There's a reason, correction, truthful galore reasons, that galore person suggested nan Hoosiers are nan top communicative successful assemblage shot history (and possibly moreover much broadly successful American sports history).

Let's reiterate conscionable a fewer ...

Entering this season, Indiana held nan dubious favoritism of having nan astir losses all-time successful assemblage shot history earlier getting passed by Northwestern during nan fall.

The Hoosiers hadn't won truthful overmuch arsenic a convention title since 1967 earlier winning nan Big Ten this season. They had won conscionable 3 vessel games successful their full history -- nan 1979 Holiday Bowl, nan 1988 Liberty Bowl and nan 1991 Copper Bowl -- earlier this period and could efficaciously lucifer that successful nan span of 19 days aft already winning nan Rose Bowl complete Alabama (which doubled arsenic nan CFP quarterfinals) and nan Peach Bowl complete Oregon (CFP semifinals).

Indiana had conscionable 3 winning seasons successful nan 29 years earlier hiring Cignetti, topping retired astatine 8-5, and successful nan 3 years earlier his arrival, nan programme went 2-10, 4-8 and 3-9 pinch a mixed 3-24 Big Ten record.

In 2 seasons pinch Cignetti, nan Hoosiers are 26-2 wide and 17-1 successful Big Ten regular-season games (plus nan Big Ten title crippled triumph complete Ohio State this season) pinch 2 CFP appearances and now this changeable astatine nan nationalist title.

All pinch a halfway comprised mostly of three-star, two-star aliases wholly unrated recruits, including13 transfers Cignetti brought pinch him from James Madison. Only 2 Indiana starters -- wide receivers Omar Cooper Jr. and E.J. Williams Jr. -- were four-star prospects, per nan 247Sports Composite.

There really is nary overstating really unthinkable this each is.

3. The Fernando Mendoza communicative wrong nan story

If nan Indiana communicative was capable connected its own, its prima quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, could beryllium a Disney sports movie crippled unto himself.

An overlooked two-star enlistee from Miami who was passed complete by nan hometown Hurricanes and each different Power Four programme but Cal now returns to municipality arsenic nan recently minted Heisman Trophy winner, going against nan schoolhouse he grew up rooting for successful their location stadium.

It's almost excessively rich | to beryllium real, yet it is.

"I person pictures connected my telephone and I had greenish and orangish overgarment connected my look pinch a UM chapeau astatine Hard Rock Stadium, earlier then, it wasn't Hard Rock Stadium (yet), truthful I cognize really overmuch it intends to nan organization and really overmuch nan University of Miami organization has been waiting for this infinitesimal and a resurgence," Mendoza said.

"They've ever been a awesome shot program, but a resurgence to nan National Championship level, I cognize really overmuch it means. However, arsenic a kid being a University of Miami fan, I'm besides correct now, for illustration my loyalty lies to nan Hoosiers. So I cognize really overmuch it intends to some sides."

Mendoza, ever humble, has tried to downplay immoderate of this being astir him, but it's excessively bully a communicative perspective to disregard -- moreover he can't contradict that.

"I deliberation playing immoderate nationalist title is fantastic, and it intends a small spot much to me," he said. "I utilized to beryllium capable to locomotion to University of Miami, utilized to play rec hoops games location aliases formation volleyball successful nan soil courts, and to unrecorded nether a mile distant it intends a batch to myself."

Add successful nan wrinkle that Mendoza comes from nan aforesaid precocious school, Christopher Columbus HS successful Miami, arsenic Cristobal, who was a precocious schoolhouse teammate of Mendoza's father.

What makes it astir special, though, is that each of this is happening because Mendoza has delivered a CFP capacity for nan ages, completing 31 of 36 passes for 8 TDs and 0 INTs successful those ascendant wins complete Alabama and Oregon. That's right, 8 TDs pinch conscionable 5 incompletions, connected nan biggest shape of his career.

If anyone doubted whether Mendoza deserved nan Heisman Trophy, he's silenced each critics.

4. The Miami subplots

The narratives connected nan Miami broadside of nan matchup merit their spotlight too.

We touched connected nan facet of Cristobal being nan 1 to lead his alma mater backmost to this spotlight aft nan Hurricanes went done 4 different caput coaches complete 2 decades of mostly vexation and disappointment.

But successful truthful doing, he is besides redefining his ain profession legacy.

Before this season, it was adjacent to statement that Cristobal had grounded to present successful nan biggest moments and had earned a estimation for deflating late-season losses.

His 2019 Oregon squad was 9-1 and No. 6 successful nan country, led by early NFL prima QB Justin Herbert, earlier a precocious November nonaccomplishment to unranked Arizona State, which was 5-5 entering nan game. The Ducks would triumph nan Pac-12 title but still autumn short of nan CFP arsenic a result.

In 2021, his Ducks started disconnected 9-1 again and were classed No. 3 earlier losing doubly successful 3 weeks to Utah, including nan Pac-12 title game, to again miss retired connected nan CFP.

And past year, he had Miami successful premier position astatine 9-0 earlier losing to unranked Georgia Tech and Syracuse successful nan last 3 weeks to narrowly miss moreover nan expanded 12-team CFP bracket, finishing No. 13 successful nan CFP rankings.

This time, nan Hurricanes overcame their adversity earlier, shaking disconnected losses to unranked Louisville and SMU successful nan span of 3 games mid-season to triumph their last 4 successful ascendant manner and narrowly slipped into nan CFP section pinch nan last at-large berth.

With playoff wins complete Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss, Cristobal has already changed nan cognition that he can't triumph nan large games. One much and he'd put that conception to remainder permanently.

Meanwhile, his backmost Carson Beck is scription his ain redemption arc.

Beck's Georgia tenure gets overstated a bit. He was a coagulated backmost for nan Bulldogs, but nan modular location couldn't person been higher erstwhile he took complete aft his predecessor, Stetson Bennett IV, led nan programme to back-to-back nationalist titles.

Even though Beck led Georgia to a 12-0 regular play successful his first twelvemonth arsenic a starter successful 2023, nan Bulldogs mislaid 27-24 to Alabama successful nan SEC title crippled and missed nan then-four-team CFP. Beck passed for 3,941 yards, 24 TDs and 6 INTs (with 4 rushing TDs) and capped nan play by starring nan squad to 63-3 triumph complete Florida State successful nan Orange Bowl, but it wasn't enough.

Especially not erstwhile Georgia mislaid doubly during nan 2024 play arsenic Beck's numbers dipped (including a career-worst 12 INTs). He sustained a important elbow wounded successful nan SEC title crippled triumph complete Texas, pinch Gunner Stockton finishing things disconnected and past starting nan Bulldogs' playoff crippled past year.

He was group to suffer Georgia 1 measurement aliases nan other, initially declaring for nan NFL draft, but Cristobal compelled him to springiness assemblage shot 1 much changeable astatine Miami, and now he's astatine nan doorstep of rewriting his legacy.

Beck struggled successful Miami's 2 losses, throwing 6 picks complete those games, but he was fantabulous down nan agelong of nan play while completing 79.5 % of his passes for 281.25 yards per crippled pinch 11 TDs and conscionable 1 interception successful starring 4 ascendant wins to put nan Hurricanes backmost successful nan playoff conversation.

And he threw for 268 yards, 2 TDs and a prime while taking nan game-winning people successful himself connected a 3-yard TD tally pinch 18 seconds near to hit Ole Miss successful nan CFP semifinals.

"It's nan champion emotion I've ever had successful my life," he said connected nan section aft that moment.

“I’m a large believer of Carson Beck,” Cristobal said. “Like him, our full squad connected November 1, 2025, did not person very overmuch affirmative power surrounding them. I deliberation Carson Beck epitomizes nan expertise to return an adverse business and move it into thing not only affirmative but thing that helps 1 grow, endure, and go a stronger and amended type of themselves.

“He’s not caught up successful individual accolades aliases awards. He wants to win, and he’s consenting to do thing to win.”

5. Home section advantage?

Technically, this is nan first clip immoderate squad has played an FBS nationalist title crippled successful its location stadium, but it's really nan ninth clip a squad has played nan finale successful its location state.

The past specified lawsuit was LSU winning nan nationalist title six years successful nan Superdome successful New Orleans, but overall, teams playing for nan nationalist title successful their location authorities are conscionable 4-4 all-time.

Again, though, this is simply a small different.

"It's difficult to say," Cristobal said of immoderate advantage for Miami. "We're successful different uniforms, and we're connected nan different side. It still matters. It's still 120 yards agelong and 53 wide, and I expect what we each expect. We're home, and we expect location to show arsenic powerfully arsenic humanly imaginable and make it arsenic overmuch of our ambiance arsenic possible."

Indiana made Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium consciousness for illustration a location crippled successful that semifinal triumph complete Oregon, but it remains to beryllium seen conscionable really galore Hoosiers fans will beryllium capable to unafraid a spot for this 1 successful Miami's location stadium.

"I'm not judge it's a motivator," Cignetti said. "It is what it is; it's factual. This is wherever Miami plays their location shot games, and we're playing a crippled against them pinch a batch connected nan line. That's it, plain and simple."