College Football Playoff National Championship: Miami v Indiana
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The 2025-26 College Football Playoff delivered a mixture of blowouts and bangers as teams navigated Year 2 of the 12-team format in pursuit of the national title. Indiana emerged as the last teams standing after playing games that fit in both categories.

Its quarterfinal and semifinal victories over Alabama and Oregon fit easily into the blowout category, as the Hoosiers shellacked the Crimson Tide and Ducks by a combined 69 points while setting up a championship game showdown with Miami. After slipping in as final at-large team in the bracket, the Hurricanes regularly found themselves at the center of late-game drama.

Their journey included tight wins over higher-seeded teams like Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss to set up Monday night's epic clash with the Hoosiers inside Hard Rock Stadium. Despite being more than a touchdown underdog, Miami gave Indiana everything it could handle before the Hoosiers emerged with a thrilling 27-21 victory.

Here is the 1-11 game ranking of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff.

1. (1) Indiana 27, (10) Miami 21 -- National Championship

It's hard to ask for a more compelling national championship game than what Indiana and Miami provided. The Hurricanes faced a 10-point deficit three times but, unlike IU's first two playoff opponents, they never wavered. Indiana's fourth-quarter touchdown drive highlighted by a pair of fourth-down conversions and Fernando Mendoza's 12-yard touchdown run seemed like it could be a nail in the coffin. But the 'Canes rallied to give themselves a final opportunity at a go-ahead touchdown in the last two minutes. In the end, it was Miami native Jamari Sharpe -- nephew of former Hurricanes defensive back Glenn Sharpe -- who secured the game-clinching interception for Indiana inside Hard Rock Stadium.

2. (10) Miami 31, (6) Ole Miss 27 -- Semifinals

Ole Miss took a pair of fourth-quarter leads only for Miami to wrestle back the edge twice in the final seven minutes of an epic battle between two teams who were never expected to get this far. In the end, Miami finally broke a resilient Ole Miss defense with the game on the line. Malachi Toney's 36-yard touchdown reception and Carson Beck's 3-yard touchdown scamper with 18 seconds left made the difference. Still, the Rebels had enough time for a final throw to the end zone that fell incomplete to cap a tense, back-and-forth semifinal showdown.

3. Ole Miss 39, Georgia 34 -- Quarterfinals

Beating Tulane without Lane Kiffin was one thing, but taking down the vaunted Georgia Bulldogs, who beat Ole Miss with Kiffin on the sideline during the regular season, may have constituted the greatest victory in Rebels history. With a spot in the semifinals on the line, Ole Miss rallied from a 21-12 deficit behind a legendary performance from quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, bomb-footed kicker Lucas Carneiro and some timely defense. Carneiro's go-ahead 47-yard kick with six seconds left and a subsequent safety clinched an outcome that brought an unassailable moment of jubilation to a season of chaos for Ole Miss.

4. Miami 10, Texas A&M 3 -- First Round

A combined 12 trips into opponent territory yielded just 13 total points as Miami and Texas A&M struggled to finish drives amid high winds and ferocious defense. The ending was beautifully chaotic as Malachi Toney redeemed himself for a potentially catastrophic fumble by scampering 11 yards for the game's lone touchdown with 1:44 remaining. A&M's offense produced one final charge, but Marcel Reed was intercepted in the end zone with 24 seconds left to cap a wonky thriller.

5. Miami 24, Ohio State 14 -- Quarterfinals

No single play altered that complexion of the playoff more than Keionte Scott's 72-yard pick 6 of Julian Sayin that put Miami up 14-0 on Ohio State early in the second quarter. The stunning sequence brought about a potential 14-point swing and left the Buckeyes facing their only double-digit deficit of the season. Ohio State never fully recovered as Miami stayed one step ahead of the reigning national champions after that jarring early blow. As a 9.5-point underdog, Miami pulled off the biggest upset of the playoff with this result.

6. Alabama 34, Oklahoma 24 -- First Round

The beauty of Alabama's comeback from a 17-0 deficit to win a road playoff game is obscured by the subsequent beating it took from Indiana in the Rose Bowl. In the moment, the Crimson Tide's furious rally made for a fun start to the CFP. Oklahoma punched back in the fourth quarter to draw within 27-24 and inject some late drama, but Alabama did just enough to secure revenge for its regular-season loss to OU.

7. Indiana 56, Oregon 22 -- Semifinals

Dante Moore devolved into a blundering trainwreck in the first half with three turnovers, including a pick 6 on the first play from scrimmage and a pair of fumbles that set Indiana up for easy touchdowns. By halftime, the Hoosiers led 35-7, and they never relented. Fernando Mendoza's five passing touchdowns compared to just three incompletions distinguished him from Moore in a game between the two quarterbacks who were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings entering the game. 

8. Indiana 38, Alabama 3 -- Quarterfinals

Of eight teams to receive a first-round bye in the 12-team CFP era, Indiana is the only one to actually win its quarterfinal game. The Hoosiers didn't just beat Alabama, they crushed the Crimson Tide by holding them to just 193 total yards and 11 first downs in a ruthless beating. The Rose Bowl setting and a game time of just over three hours mitigated the malaise of a non-competitive game. IU's dominance of a traditional SEC power and the shock it sent through IU's non-believers also provided entertainment.

9. Ole Miss 41, Tulane 10 -- First Round 

Though it wasn't a competitive game, the backstory and setting made it a more compelling watch than some of the CFP's other blowouts. It was the first game for Ole Miss since Lane Kiffin's departure for LSU, and Vaught-Hemingway Stadium showed up in a big way. Masses of jilted fans in Santa hats enjoyed every moment of a validating victory that propelled the Rebels into a Sugar Bowl showdown with Georgia. 

10. Oregon 51, James Madison 34 -- First Round

Oregon's first-half barrage of five explosive touchdown drives lasting five plays or less made for a bit of impressive offensive theater. It also zapped any competitive drama from a game that featured 18 penalties and dragged on for nearly four hours. The Ducks let off the gas in the second half, which may have deceived some box score viewers into thinking this was something other than total dominance.

11. Oregon 23, Texas Tech 0 -- Quarterfinals

Texas Tech's defense showed up and wreaked some havoc, but with absolutely no support from the offense, it didn't matter. Oregon looked sloppy and disjointed offensively and still cruised to a fairly easy win on the strength of its defense. This was a dud of a showing from the Red Raiders that got quarterfinal Saturday off to a poor start.