NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
It all comes down to this.
The Indiana Hoosiers will look to finish the season undefeated when they take on the Miami Hurricanes, who hope to end a long title drought for one of college football’s storied programs, in the national championship game on Monday night.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti pose with the trophy after a news conference before the College Football Playoff national championship, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
The Hoosiers have never won a national title and rarely played in prestigious bowl games throughout the program’s history. This season is unlike any year the Hoosiers have had. Indiana has a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Fernando Mendoza leading the charge as it notches wins in the Rose Bowl and Peach Bowl on its way to the final game.
Indiana will face an extremely hungry Miami team. The Hurricanes have a long history of greatness in college football, having won national championships five times. But it had been a long time since they had played for a title. Miami barely made the College Football Playoff and has made the most of it.
Miami upset Texas A&M in the first round of the CFP, defeated defending champions Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl and then stunned Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl. The Hurricanes will play at their home stadium, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Here are some things you should know about the game.
INDIANA COACH CURT CIGNETTI WANTED 1 THING AFTER HISTORIC WIN OVER OREGON
Will President Trump be there?
President Donald Trump is expected to be at the national championship game Monday night along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump has a history of being at the last college football game of the season.
Trump was at the 2019 national title game between the LSU Tigers and the Clemson Tigers. He was also at the Alabama-Georgia national championship game in 2017.
Who is Indiana’s quarterback?
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) reacts during the Peach Bowl playoff semifinal against Oregon on Jan. 9, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Fernando Mendoza will lead the charge for the Hoosiers. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy as a first-time All-American and the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. He has 3,349 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes in 15 games this season.
Mendoza came to Indiana after spending two seasons with the California Golden Bears. He suggested that he believed head coach Curt Cignetti could help him get to where he wanted to be as a player.
“I felt like Coach Cignetti could help me get to where I thought I could be as a quarterback,” he said.
Now they are one victory away from winning a national title.
Who is Miami’s quarterback?
Miami quarterback Carson Beck holds the offensive player of the game trophy after winning the Fiesta Bowl against Mississippi on Jan. 8, 2026, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Carson Beck is the Hurricanes’ field general. He moved to Miami after having an illustrious career with the Georgia Bulldogs. Beck was on the Georgia team that won back-to-back national championships in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. However, at the time he was a backup to Stetson Bennett.
Beck had a great career with Georgia, but when the Bulldogs released Beck, he extended his career one more season with his decision to transfer to Miami. He replaced Cam Ward at quarterback and helped lead the Hurricanes to the national title.
He has 3,581 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes in 15 games.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
How to watch the game
The College Football Playoff National Championship will air on ESPN. The game will begin at 7:30 pm ET.
