Monday, Jan. 19, college football fans across the country will tune in for the National Championship as the Miami Hurricanes take on the Indiana Hoosiers.
Road to Championship:
The Hurricanes, came into the playoffs under some controversy after not making the ACC championship game this year. After getting playoff bids over Vanderbilt and Notre Dame, some fans didn’t think the Hurricanes were meant to be in the playoffs. They came into College Station to face the Texas A&M Aggies as underdogs, and the Miami defense proved that they were legit. The Hurricanes held Texas A&M to three points, and moved on to play the reigning national champs in Ohio State.
Miami, underdogs again, won the Cotton Bowl. Beating Ohio State on New Years Eve by a comfortable amount, Miami had the nation stunned by their performances. The Hurricanes then took on the Ole Miss Rebels in the Fiesta Bowl, and gave us a classic. Carson Beck walks off the game, and beat Ole Miss 31-27, clinching Miami’s first national championship appearance since 2002.
The Hoosiers came into the playoffs with confidence, being the number one seed overall. The Hoosiers were, and still to this day are the only undefeated team in the country. The Hoosiers have a very experienced roster with the average age of 23. Besides the experience, Mendoza and Coach Cignetti have been the real show.
Mendoza winning Indiana’s first ever Heisman Trophy and Coach Cignetti winning the Coach of the Year the Hoosiers seemed to be the country’s favorite to win it all. The Hoosiers proved the fans and media right after blowing out both Alabama and Oregon by a average margin of 34.5 points.
Both Miami and Indiana have shown they have elite talent and strong coaching, and that each team has proven it belongs on college football’s biggest stage. However, Indiana’s consistency and dominant postseason performances give them the edge. I believe the Hoosiers will continue their historic run and defeat Miami to claim the National Championship.
