NCAA Football: Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech
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The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship is set, and few would have predicted this matchup in the preseason. Against all odds, No. 10 Miami entered the CFP as the last team in the bracket and rolled all the way to the title game, defeating three higher-seeded squads along the way. No. 1 Indiana has been the championship favorite for some time now, but that the Hoosiers will play in the final game of the season is a reality that would have been unfathomable months ago.

Regardless of which team wins, history will be made on Monday, Jan. 19. Either the Hoosiers will win the first championship in program history, or the Hurricanes will be the first team to win the national championship game on their home field. In fact, Miami is set to become the first program to even play a title game in its home stadium during the BCS and CFP eras.

That's right -- the 2026 CFP National Championship will unfold at Hard Rock Stadium, the home of the Hurricanes. It is the second playoff game to be held in Miami Gardens this postseason after the Orange Bowl hosted No. 5 Oregon and No. 4 Texas Tech in the quarterfinal round.

Miami is 7-1 at home this season. Two of those wins came against teams ranked at the time of the game. Indiana is the best team the Hurricanes will have faced all year, though, and considering how well Hoosiers fans traveled for the Peach Bowl, Miami may not have a true home-field advantage.

It will take more than just a raucous crowd to defeat Curt Cignetti's machine of an Indiana team. The No. 1 seed is one win away from the first 16-0 record in modern college football history, and after it defeated its first two CFP opponents by a combined score of 94-25, it appears as unstoppable as ever. Not only is the defense a top-four unit in both points and yards allowed, but with Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza leading the offense, the Hoosiers are elite on both sides of the ball.

CFP National Championship location, date, time

Date: Monday, Jan. 19 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Hard Rock Stadium -- Miami Gardens, Florida
TV: ESPN | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)