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No. 1 Indiana will face No. 5 Oregon on Friday night in the Peach Bowl for the right to play Miami for the national championship.

If the Hoosiers are able to replicate their performance from earlier in the season when they beat the Ducks on the road in Eugene, it'll be Indiana's first appearance in a national championship game, continuing one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football history under coach Curt Cignetti. 

Cignetti's arrival, coupled with his aggressive transfer portal approach, made Indiana an overnight contender, and his greatest transfer success story is quarterback Fernando Mendoza. In his lone season in Bloomington, Mendoza earned the Heisman Trophy and became a projected top-five NFL Draft pick, something few anticipated before the year began.

Cignetti was one of those few, and explained to CBS Sports' Jenny Dell what he's seen from Mendoza in terms of development and preparation that's allowed him to reach those heights and made the Hoosiers the title favorites. 

"I was very excited that we got him. When he went in the portal, it didn't take me long -- in terms of plays," Cignetti said. "When we got him, he was a little behind in the pocket, relative to where I thought he would be in terms of footwork, timing, rhythm and processing. That took a little bit of time. We had a new quarterback coach also, but the development he's made, I can't say enough great things about him. He competes like a lion. He plays his best when the game is on the line. His legs have been invaluable. He can make all the throws, extremely intelligent and I've never seen a guy prepare like him. That's why he's put together the kind of year he's had." 

It's a perfectly Cignetti quote. He can't help but start with all the work Mendoza needed in terms of development when he got there -- and even a bit of disappointment that he wasn't quite as far along as he thought based on tape. However, he then gushes about the strides he's taken in those areas, the various ways he impacts the game and, most importantly to Cignetti, the way he prepares mentally in a way he's never seen from a college player. 

That last part seems to have endeared Mendoza to Cignetti more than any of the physical attributes or great plays. There are plenty of quarterbacks who can make all the throws and are athletic enough to make plays with their legs, but nothing gets more appreciation from a coach than a quarterback who is fully prepared for each game. 

That preparation is part of what makes Mendoza and Indiana so good late in games, as he knows what he'll be facing from the opposition and has the confidence to make the plays needed to win. We saw that multiple times this season, including in Eugene against the Ducks, and as he and Indiana get set for the biggest game in program history on Friday night, that preparation is what they hope offers an edge if the game comes down to the fourth quarter once again.