After a long season, the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship is here.

The CFP’s final game presents a clash of two teams that have taken different paths to the championship. Indiana, which entering this season was the sport’s all-time losingest team at the Division I level, is looking to provide one of the most remarkable turnarounds in history with a remarkable ending. After an 11-2 first season under coach Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers have blown through the college football circuit in his second campaign. They’re entering the title game as the No. 1 seed with a 15-0 record and an average margin of victory of 34.5 points across their first two playoff games.

Miami is hoping to bring one of the sport’s most storied programs back to the mountaintop. “The U” won five national titles across the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, boasting future NFL stars such as Ray Lewis and Reggie Wayne. In contrast to Indiana’s dominance, Hurricanes alum Mario Cristobal has brought his alma mater back to the championship game with a string of clutch performances. Miami was one of the last teams to be selected for the bracket, and in each of its three playoff games has either scored or prevented a game-changing touchdown in the final minute.

Though the Hoosiers are 7.5-point favorites on DraftKings, the Hurricanes will have at least one advantage — they’ll be playing in familiar territory, with the championship taking place at Miami’s home venue, Hard Rock Stadium.

With a get-in price of over $3,000, it’s clear the demand from both fan bases to witness the title clash is sky-high. Here are all the best sights and sounds from south Florida ahead of the 2026 title game.

MIAMI — Indiana is on the cusp of capping off one of the most dramatic program U-turns in the history of college football.

Miami is on the verge of completing a generational revival, as it has mostly slogged through its existence in the ACC since joining in 2004.

The No. 1 Hoosiers (15-0) have been a testament to perfection all season — they are undefeated, play cleaner football than anyone in the power conferences and have become the fresh face of success in this transient era of college football. The program is seeking its first national title and hasn’t finished in the top five since 1967.

The No. 10 Hurricanes bring a superior roster in terms of pure talent, as they’ve gone from the bubble of the College Football Playoff to positioning themselves with home-field advantage for a shot at the program’s first national title since 2001. (The confluence of location and the novelty of the Hoosiers have put the average ticket price hovering around $4,000 on the secondary market.)

Who will win? We polled 25 opposing coaches, scouts and front office members who played against or studied the teams. The results were resounding, with 21 of 25 respondents picking Indiana.

Why the Hoosiers? And what’s Miami’s path to victory as nearly a touchdown underdog? The NFL scouts and opposing coaches/assistants break down the key factors looming over the game.

Who has the talent advantage?

Maybe the biggest compliment to the insta-juggernaut Curt Cignetti has created at Indiana?

The same scouts that almost unanimously favor Indiana also acknowledge Miami has a roster with more NFL talent.

How distinct is this advantage from a pure talent perspective? Using NFL draft picks as a barometer isn’t a perfect metric.

This variable is tricky, as there are players with draft decisions who could decide to return to school. But Miami projects to have 12 draftable players, although they’ll end up with fewer if the likes of tailback Mark Fletcher, left tackle Markel Bell and Ahmad Moten Sr. return, as the school has indicated to scouts. Indiana’s reality is closer to six players drafted this year.

(Ohio State had 14 players drafted last year, and typically double-digit draft picks is a hallmark of a title contender.)

Scouts and coaches point to the trenches as both Miami’s strength and likely advantage, as four of Miami’s five offensive linemen project as draft picks. But the coaches also point out that Indiana has beaten lines with better talent all year, and they wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case Monday night.

Carson Beck projects as a third- or fourth-round pick, but scouts wonder if this push to the title game, and a big game on Monday, might boost his stock. There are at least six NFL teams with overt needs at quarterback — Miami, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Vegas and Arizona — and Beck or Penn State’s Drew Allar is likely to be the third quarterback off the board.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the presumptive No. 1 pick and by far the best prospect on the field. Other Hoosiers who’ll hear their names called include star receiver Elijah Sarratt, corner D’Angelo Ponds and linebacker Aiden Fisher. None of those three are likely top 50 picks.

“Miami has better personnel,” said an opposing coach. “But because Miami is limited in what they do schematically, I think Mendoza will have a good day. They just need to protect him.”

What is Miami’s path to victory?

The joke among coaches is that if Miami is going to win, it’s going to be the shortest title game in history. Miami huddles, and often in the College Football Playoff didn’t approach the line of scrimmage until there were about 15 seconds left on the play clock.

Miami dominated time of possession against Ole Miss, controlling the ball for 41:22 of the game clock. It had four drives of more than 13 plays. While that time of possession came in part because of Ole Miss’ tempo, the Canes will need the tenor of this game to be similar.

A peek at what it needs to look like for the Hurricanes came on Oregon’s second drive against Indiana last round. After Dante Moore threw a pick-six on the opening drive, he calmly executed a 14-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game that took nearly eight minutes off the clock. Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson — an old Air Raid disciple — will need to stay patient, run the ball and take what’s available.

The barometer early will be Miami’s run game. Fletcher has 58 carries for 395 yards in the playoff, an average of 6.8 yards per carry. He has moved piles of defenders with such consistency, it’s as if he’s angling for a Caterpillar NIL deal.

“I think Miami will shorten the game and run the ball,” said a veteran NFL scout. “I do think it’s going to be a close game. Ultimately, the Indiana quarterback is going to make more throws on third down.”

Right tackle Francis Mauigoa is the anchor of Miami’s O-line, as he projects as the highest draft pick on Miami’s offense. (Freshman Malachi Toney is the most talented player, but he’s not draft-eligible.)

At 6-foot-6 and 335 pounds, Mauigoa might end up as a guard in the NFL. But he’s a road grader who’ll need to exploit an Indiana defensive line that has lost two key defensive line stars, Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley, to injury.

One scout notes Mauigoa has the raw power and anchor to have a “high ceiling” in the NFL. He’ll be needed to dominate the point of attack to help drain the clock and keep this game low-scoring.

Can Miami have an Ohio State replay?

Perhaps the biggest statistical anomaly in this postseason came in Miami’s victory over Ohio State in the quarterfinals. The Hurricanes ended the game with zero penalties. They were the first team in CFP history to not commit a penalty.

Indiana’s identity revolves around clean, mistake-free football. Miami’s penchant for penalties has hounded it this season, other than that Ohio State game. Miami combined for 21 penalties that cost them 163 yards in losses to SMU and Louisville.

The numbers bear this out as one of the game’s biggest statistical discrepancies. Indiana is No. 2 nationally in fewest penalty yards, with 26.9 per game. Miami is No. 85 with 57.1 yards. Per ESPN Research, in four of Miami’s six one-score games this year, Miami had at least nine penalties.

None loomed larger for the Hurricanes than an unnecessary roughness call on defensive lineman Marquise Lightfoot that extended SMU’s game-tying drive that forced overtime in Miami’s loss in Dallas.

Indiana’s defense has been particularly efficient, as they’ve been called for just 13 penalties as a unit all year. Army is No. 1 with seven.

A place to watch Monday night will be the offensive line.

Indiana has not been infallible there, as it had seven pre-snap penalties in its win at Oregon. Six of them were false starts and another was a delay of game. Could similar issues loom if Miami fans can make crowd noise a factor? (The crowd projects as a 50-50 split, with the way tickets have been divided.)

Miami’s offensive line has been a strength, but it is not mistake free. It has been penalized 37 times this season, which is fourth most in the FBS, per ESPN Research. The Hurricanes have had 24 false starts, which is second most in the FBS. Miami had three false starts against Ole Miss.

Miami needs to play as it did against Ohio State to pull the upset.

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The difference-maker on Indiana’s defense

One player coaches and scouts pointed to as a difference-maker is Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher. He looks up to former Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly and has enjoyed Kuechly’s ability to diagnose and predict plays pre-snap on ESPN’s “MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats.”

“Just the way he sees the game is special,” Fisher told ESPN. “I actually kind of adapted some of his things this offseason during my notes and just how he breaks film down, how he sees the game.”

Fisher has earned a reputation around the Big Ten for gleaning the opposition’s plays through formations and movements. He says he’ll get close to the line of scrimmage to hear what quarterbacks say pre-snap under center, store it away and use it later in the game to call out plays.

He said he didn’t want to “give my secrets” for what he’s looking for against Miami. But he did have a favorite play this season, when he called out an upcoming tight end screen for Iowa based on the motion.

He screamed out the play to linebacker Rolijah Hardy, who tackled Iowa’s DJ Vonnahme for a 1-yard loss.

“That’s one of my favorite plays for the season, and I didn’t make it,” he said. “[Hardy] blew it up for the TFL and you can see me on film kind of pointing at my head. So that’s what gets me excited during football games. I can kind of call out your bluff and things like that.”

Fisher is a former high school quarterback. And his understanding of that side of the ball helps him hear the quarterback’s verbiage — “different things like protections, audibles and checks” — and use that information to predict plays later in the game.

Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines calls Fisher “an elite mind.”

“The thing about a quarterback and him walking up to the line of scrimmage is the quarterback is actually conveying a real thing,” Haines told ESPN. “The words matter. It start with an R and L (for right and left), East Coast, West Coast. Any team has like these conceptual things behind what they’re saying, and he can start to isolate some of those.

“If you add that to the formational tendencies, he’s going to have a pretty good idea of what you’re thinking here.”

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The Heisman winner vs. a banged-up Miami secondary

The uncertainty in the secondary for Miami looms over this game, especially in the first half.

Miami defensive back Xavier Lucas will miss the first half of the game after a targeting call. Miami has another defensive back, Damari Brown, who hasn’t played since Nov. 29 and isn’t certain to play, as Mario Cristobal referred to him as “day-to-day.”

Both are key members of the secondary, as Lucas has 11 starts and Brown has five this season. They are heavy parts of Miami’s corner rotation.

Another key corner, OJ Frederique, played just seven snaps against Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl. He told ESPN that he’s ready to play and “fully healthy.” He returned for the playoff against Texas A&M after not playing for nearly two months. He’s dealing with a nagging leg injury.

That’s going to leave Miami likely relying on some less experienced defensive backs, especially until Lucas returns in the second half.

True freshman corner Ja’Boree Antoine played 24 snaps against Ole Miss and 14 on defense, which were his third most in a game this year and most in a game of consequence.

Just as Ole Miss went at Antoine when he entered last week, expect Indiana to try and exploit Miami’s secondary flux early in the game.

Freshman Chris Ewald, who has played in four games and 27 total snaps, and Jadais Richard, a Vanderbilt transfer who has played in four games and has 21 snaps this year, are players to watch. Miami could also shuffle more experienced players from nickel or safety to help out.

Don’t be surprised to see Mendoza and Indiana’s deep receiving corps look to find weaknesses in Miami’s back end. Opposing coaches have viewed it as Miami’s biggest weakness all year.

“Both offenses will know what’s coming because the defenses are in the same tree,” said an opposing coach. “If you know what the other team is doing, who is more dangerous? I think Indiana when they know, they make this a high-scoring game. Miami isn’t built to score like that.”

ESPN research producers Marisa Dowling and Sopan Shah contributed to this story.

The newest AP Top 25 poll is out, featuring all three remaining unbeaten teams for the first time this season: Arizona (No. 1), Nebraska (No. 7) and Miami (Ohio) (No. 25). The RedHawks are ranked for the first time in 27 years.

The Wildcats are the unanimous No. 1 for the first time this season, receiving all 61 votes. UConn, Michigan, Purdue and Duke round out the top five, with Iowa State falling to No. 9 after two consecutive losses this past week. Michigan State replaces Vanderbilt as the final team in the top 10 after the Commodores also lost both games this past week.

North Carolina fell the furthest (eight spots), followed by the Cyclones (seven), Commodores (five) and Louisville and Georgia (three each). Tennessee, Utah State and Seton Hall dropped out and were replaced by Kansas, Saint Louis and the RedHawks.

Clemson saw the biggest rise in the rankings (four spots), with Texas Tech and Florida each climbing three spots.

Let’s take a look at the full Week 11 rankings and what’s next for each team.

All times Eastern. All stats courtesy of ESPN Research unless otherwise noted.

Previous polls: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 9 | Week 10

Previous ranking: 1

2025-26 record: 18-0

Stat to know: The Wildcats have trailed for just 11:57 total in conference play this season.

What’s next: Wednesday vs. Cincinnati, 9 p.m., FSI

Previous ranking: 3

2025-26 record: 18-1

Stat to know: This is the Huskies’ seventh season starting 18-1 or better since 1980. The last time was 2008-09, when they made the Final Four.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Villanova, 12:30 p.m., Fox

Previous ranking: 4

2025-26 record: 16-1

Stat to know: Michigan has won nine straight games on the road or at neutral sites, its second-longest win streak in the past 35 years. The Wolverines are one of six teams to remain undefeated away from home this season, along with Arizona, Nebraska, Miami (Ohio), Purdue and UConn.

What’s next: Tuesday vs. Indiana, 7 p.m., Peacock

Previous ranking: 5

2025-26 record: 17-1

Stat to know: Purdue has won 17 straight games against unranked opponents, its longest streak since 1986-87, when it won 20 in a row.

What’s next: Tuesday @ UCLA, 10 p.m., Peacock

Previous ranking: 6

2025-26 record: 17-1

Stat to know: Cameron Boozer now has two 30-point double-doubles this season, the most by a Duke freshman since Zion Williamson had four during the 2018-19 season. Boozer is also up to three career 30-point games; his father, Carlos, had two across his three seasons in Durham.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Wake Forest, 5:45 p.m., The CW Network

Previous ranking: 7

2025-26 record: 17-1

Stat to know: The Cougars are 43-1 (.977) at home across the past three seasons, the best home winning percentage among major conference teams over that span.

What’s next: Saturday @ Texas Tech, 6:30 p.m., ESPN

Previous ranking: 8

2025-26 record: 18-0

Stat to know: The Cornhuskers are 7-0 in conference play for the first time since 1965-66.

What’s next: Wednesday vs. Washington, 9 p.m., BTN

Previous ranking: 9

2025-26 record: 19-1

Stat to know: Gonzaga has won 11 games by 20 or more points this season, tying with Arizona and Saint Louis for most such wins in Division I.

What’s next: Wednesday vs. Pepperdine, 9 p.m., ESPN+

Previous ranking: 2

2025-26 record: 16-2

Stat to know: Iowa State is the first team in Big 12 history to start 15-0 or better before losing consecutive games to unranked opponents. The Cyclones have now lost as an AP top-15 team to unranked Cincinnati in football, women’s basketball and men’s basketball this season.

What’s next: Tuesday vs. UCF, 7 p.m., CBSSN

Previous ranking: 12

2025-26 record: 16-2

Stat to know: Michigan State has 18 consecutive wins against unranked opponents, its longest such win streak since a 23-game run between 2012-13 and 2013-14.

What’s next: Tuesday @ Oregon, 9 p.m., FS1

Previous ranking: 13

2025-26 record: 15-3

Stat to know: Illinois has won five consecutive games against conference opponents, its longest such streak since it won six straight from Dec. 3, 2021, to Jan. 14, 2022.

What’s next: Wednesday vs. Maryland, 7 p.m., BTN

Previous ranking: 15

2025-26 record: 14-4

Stat to know: JT Toppin has the longest active double-double streak in D-I with seven straight. His 43 career double-doubles are the second most among active players (Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg has 48).

What’s next: Tuesday @ Baylor, 9 p.m., Peacock

Previous ranking: 11

2025-26 record: 16-2

Stat to know: BYU is winless against just two Big 12 schools since joining the league in 2023-24: Texas Tech (0-4) and Houston (0-2).

What’s next: Saturday vs. Utah, 5:30 p.m., Fox

Previous ranking: 16

2025-26 record: 16-2

Stat to know: Virginia has won at least 16 of its first 18 games of the season for the first time since it started 17-1 in 2018-19 (when it won the national title).

What’s next: Saturday vs. North Carolina, 2 p.m., ESPN

Previous ranking: 10

2025-26 record: 16-2

Stat to know: Vanderbilt is the third SEC program over the past 45 seasons to start 15-0 or better and then lose consecutive games. The Commodores have done it twice in that span (also in 2007-08).

What’s next: Tuesday @ Arkansas, 9 p.m., ESPN

Previous ranking: 19

2025-26 record: 13-5

Stat to know: This is the first time in program history that Florida has scored 90-plus points in four straight games against SEC opponents.

What’s next: Tuesday vs. LSU, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Previous ranking: 18

2025-26 record: 13-5

Stat to know: Alabama has now won three games after trailing by double digits at halftime since Nate Oats took over in the 2019-20 season. (The Tide have lost 15 such games in that span as well.)

What’s next: Saturday vs. Tennessee, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Previous ranking: 22

2025-26 record: 16-3

Stat to know: Clemson is now 6-0 in conference play, its second-best start since joining the ACC.

What’s next: Tuesday vs. NC State, 7 p.m., ACCN

Previous ranking: Unranked

2025-26 record: 13-5

Stat to know: Darryn Peterson is averaging 0.798 points per minute, the second most in Big 12 history (minimum five games and 20 minutes played per team game) behind Kansas State’s Michael Beasley (0.832 in 2007-08). Peterson also averages the third-most points per minute of any major conference player in the past 30 seasons, after Marquette’s Markus Howard (0.837 in 2019-20) and Beasley. Peterson trails only Tarleton’s Dior Johnson for most points per minute in D-I this season (0.967).

What’s next: Tuesday @ Colorado, 11 p.m., ESPN

Previous ranking: 17

2025-26 record: 13-5

Stat to know: Darius Acuff Jr. has scored in double figures in 18 straight games. That’s the fourth-longest such streak by an SEC freshman to start their career over the past 20 seasons, behind Vanderbilt’s AJ Ogilvy (2007-08), Auburn’s Mustapha Heron (2016-17) and Kentucky’s Malik Monk (2016-17).

What’s next: Tuesday vs. Vanderbilt, 9 p.m., ESPN

Previous ranking: 21

2025-26 record: 15-3

Stat to know: Georgia has won two of its past three games against AP-ranked opponents after losing the previous eight.

What’s next: Tuesday @ Missouri, 9 p.m., SEC Network

Previous ranking: 14

2025-26 record: 14-4

Stat to know: North Carolina is 1-6 in games in the Pacific Time Zone in five seasons under Hubert Davis.

What’s next: Wednesday vs. Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Previous ranking: 20

2025-26 record: 13-5

Stat to know: Louisville has had five 100-point games this season, tying for the second-most such games within a season in program history.

What’s next: Saturday vs. Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m., The CW Network

Previous ranking: Unranked

2025-26 record: 17-1

Stat to know: The Billikens have won 11 straight games since losing to Stanford in Palm Springs, California, in November.

What’s next: Tuesday @ Duquesne, 7 p.m., ESPN+

Previous ranking: Unranked

2025-26 record: 19-0

Stat to know: Miami (Ohio) is now tied for the second-longest single-season win streak in MAC history. The only team with a longer streak was 2001-02 Kent State, which featured future Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates.

What’s next: Tuesday @ Kent State, 7 p.m., ESPN+