“This is such a great group of guys, I love you guys. Great job. Let’s f---ing go!” Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza exclaimed after the Hoosiers national Championship victory this Sunday, a rare expletive from the graduate transfer quarterback known for his PG disposition.
Mendoza, who now boasts both the Heisman Trophy and National Championship MVP, pioneered the Hoosiers’ unlikely title bid, amassing over 3,500 yards and 41 touchdowns during their historic run.
Indiana’s 2025 campaign was nothing short of remarkable, yielding its winningest season, first conference title and now— first national championship. This feat is even more impressive when considered in college football’s larger context. The Hoosiers entered the season as the program with the most losses of all time before being eclipsed by Northwestern in November.
The victory symbolizes an ushering in of a new era of the sport, not just for Indiana, but for all of college football’s secondary competitors. The last school to score their first chip was Florida in 1996. Since then, a handful of elite programs have racked up trophies, leaving mid-December bowl game scraps for the rest of the sport. Indiana flipped the script Monday, knocking off a Miami program with a wealth of NIL funding that makes the Hoosiers pale in comparison.
In typical Curt Cignetti-style, Indiana bullied their way to a double-digit first half advantage. Nico Radicic’s 34-yard field goal put the Hoosiers on the board. Then, a 14 play, 85-yard drive punctuated by a one-yard Riley Nowakowski rushing touchdown notched a ten-point lead that would carry the Hoosiers into the half.
At the break, it seemed like Indiana was destined to easily continue its College Football Playoff dominance, but a 57-yard touchdown run by Miami running back Mark Fletcher four minutes into the game’s latter half put the Hurricanes back in contention. Fletcher was the game’s leading rusher, accounting for 112 yards and two touchdowns in seventeen carries.
Midway through the third quarter, Miami seemed to have temporarily lulled Indiana’s prolific offense, but the Hoosiers were able to bounce back. Indiana’s Mikail Kamara blocked a Canes’ punt attempt, which was recovered in the endzone by Isaiah Jones to push the lead back to ten.
Even so, Mario Cristobal’s squad didn’t falter. The Canes grinded out a 10-play, 81-yard drive to push the game back within three points.
Ultimately, Miami’s resistance wasn’t enough to match the Hoosier’s resolve. Mendoza extended Indiana’s longest possession with a back-shoulder, fourth down completion to Sophomore receiver Charlie Becker.
Later, with just over nine minutes remaining, Cignetti declined a chip-shot field goal opportunity to grow the Hoosiers edge to six. Instead, Indiana decided to roll the dice on fourth down once more. Mendoza took off on a designed run, casting Miami defenders aside as leaped into the endzone.
Carson Beck and company weren’t through with their title bid, though. A 22-yard touchdown run born from a quick pitch to Malachai Toney inched the deficit to three. An abbreviated Indiana drive ended in a field-goal, extending their lead to six just after the two-minute timeout. With plenty of time to march downfield and etch a go-ahead touchdown, Miami looked poised to spoil Indiana’s feel-good story.
The prevailing narrative of Carson Beck’s Miami stint has been an improvement upon the decision-making woes that defined his Georgia days. In a cruel twist of irony, his college career ended with a mistake reminiscent of his time in Athens. A 30-yard throw intended for senior wideout Keelan Marion landed in the hands of Indiana junior defensive back Jamari Sharpe, ending the Hurricanes would-be game winning drive.
With no timeouts remaining, Mario Cristobal was forced to watch from the sideline as Indiana kneeled out the game’s final 44 seconds, sealing its 27-21 victory.
College football has spent its last four years in flux, reeling from conference realignment, Playoff expansion, increasingly lenient NIL legislation and transfer portal chaos. Fans have expressed concern that these changes would only deepen the top-heavy power distribution that has plagued the sport for decades. Indiana’s rapid ascent, despite serious resource disadvantages, offer hope for a new era of college football parity, one where any program can seriously contend for a title.
Cignetti referenced this reckoning post-game. “I think we sent a message, first of all, to society that if you keep your nose to the grindstone and work hard and you’ve got the right people, anything’s possible.”