College Football Playoff National Championship: Miami v Indiana
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The Indiana Hoosiers are the 2025 College Football Playoff national champions, winning their first-ever national title by beating the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in an absolute thriller in Miami. 

It was one of the best national championship games in history -- going back to 1998 when the BCS was first introduced. Fittingly it was Fernando Mendoza, Indiana's Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, who authored the iconic moment of the game with a touchdown run on fourth-and-5 to put Indiana up 24-14 in the fourth quarter. 

Mendoza diving into the end zone feels like it'll be turned into a statue one day in Bloomington, Indiana, and it's a play that will end up on College Football Playoff highlight reels for decades. It's not often you watch a play live and know it's an all-timer, but that was the feeling for many watching Mendoza bulldoze his way into the end zone for what ended up the game-winner. 

That got us to thinking where it ranks among the all-time great national title game plays (since the start of the BCS era in 1998). 

1. Vince Young's TD run in the Rose Bowl (2005)

The most iconic play in title game history in what is widely considered the best national championship showdown in history. Texas' Vince Young scampering into the corner of the end zone on fourth-and-5 against USC in the Rose Bowl will be incredibly hard to ever top. It wasn't just a fourth down run, it came with under 30 seconds to play and the Longhorns trailing by five. They couldn't have anything less than a TD and he delivered Texas the title. 

2. Tua Tagovailoa to Devonta Smith in OT (2017)

Alabama's stunning comeback win in 2017 over Georgia after changing quarterbacks at halftime and turning things over to Tua Tagovailoa culminated in a walk-off touchdown in overtime, as Tagovailoa hit DeVonta Smith on second-and-26 in the corner of the end zone to take down Georgia. An overtime walkoff is special, much less a deep ball in overtime after a catastrophic start to lose 16 yards. I think this one and Young are pretty unassailable at No. 1 and No. 2. 

3. Kelvin Benjamin's game-winning catch (2013)

Another near walk-off winner: Jameis Winston lobbed a pass to Kelvin Benjamin in the end zone against Auburn, trailing 31-27 with under 20 seconds to play, giving Florida State its first national title in more than a decade. It wasn't quite as dramatic as Vince Young's run or Tua Tagovailoa's pass to DeVonta Smith, and it's somewhat underrated as a college football moment. But the effort from Winston to get the throw off and Benjamin to pull it down in traffic with the title on the line was all-time.

4. Fernando Mendoza's fourth-down run (2025)

Perhaps it's recency bias, but this run is likely to have a lot of staying power. It wasn't a walk-off touchdown, and the Hoosiers did have a three-point lead, but Mendoza's individual effort was remarkable. His cutback and leap over a lineman to gain the first down were incredible on their own, and then he absorbed a hit, stayed upright, and dove into the end zone for what became the game-winning touchdown. It may not rank alongside the top two plays because it didn't completely slam the door, but it belongs high on the list.

5. Hunter Renfrow's TD catch to beat Alabama (2016)

This was an iconic game, but the game-winning play itself wasn't quite as spectacular as the ones above it. That's not to take away from the moment for Clemson -- knocking off Alabama to win its first national title in more than 30 years on a game-winner with one second left is still unbelievable. That said, a well-executed rub route to free Hunter Renfrow in the flat doesn't quite have the same cachet as the plays above it.

6. Tim Tebow jump pass (2008)

Like the Mendoza run, this wasn't a walk-off in the final minute, but it was the knockout blow late in the fourth quarter in Florida's win over Oklahoma. The jump pass became synonymous with Tebow and Florida fans would probably argue this is too low. 

7. Kenyan Drake kickoff return TD (2015)

Alabama and Clemson delivered some absolute classics, and this play gets a bit lost in the wash. With Clemson cutting the deficit to four, Drake ripped off an incredible 95-yard kickoff return to push Bama back in front by two scores and help the Tide pick up another national championship. 

8. Michael Dyer run (2010)

Oregon fans are still mad about this one, but Dyer somehow staying up to set up Auburn's game-winning field goal in 2010 is one of the craziest plays we've ever seen. It not being a touchdown knocks it down the list some, but it's still one of the most memorable moments we've ever had in a title game. 

9. Kelee Ringo pick-six (2021)

Georgia finally knocked off Alabama thanks to Kelee Ringo's pick-six in 2021 that sealed the Bulldogs' victory and gave them the first of back-to-back national titles. The play was more cathartic than anything, as Georgia already led by eight, but with Alabama driving and considering the history of the matchup, it was an incredible cherry on top for the Bulldogs.