College Football Playoff Championship Preview: Indiana vs. Miami — Inside the Matchup, Momentum, and History

The improbable has become reality. Indiana and Miami — two programs from vastly different football worlds — meet Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium with a national championship on the line.

On this episode of Sports IQ, Larry Smith and the team break down everything you need to know heading into the College Football Playoff Championship, from on-field matchups to the deeper forces shaping modern college football.

Indiana enters as the No. 1 seed and favorite, powered by elite efficiency, discipline, and a postseason run that has stunned the sport. Miami, the No. 10 seed, arrives battle-tested, physical, and surging behind a balanced offense and postseason grit.

Larry is joined by two insiders who know these teams best:

• Shannon Griffith (Hoosiers.com) breaks down Indiana’s dominance, Fernando Mendoza’s historic efficiency, the Hoosiers’ trench play, and why this run has awakened one of the largest alumni bases in college sports.

• Adam Lichtenstein (Sun Sentinel) provides the Miami perspective — Carson Beck’s redemption arc, the Hurricanes’ punishing run game, and why controlling the line of scrimmage is Miami’s path to a title.

• Why Indiana’s playoff run may be one of the most efficient stretches in college football history

• How Miami’s physical identity and run game can neutralize explosive offenses

• The chess match in the trenches that could decide the title

• Alumni power, TV value, and why football remains the front porch of a university

• Transfer portal changes, NIL ripple effects, and why fewer players are entering the portal

• Major headlines from the NFL, college basketball, and the NBA

On this day in 1892, the rules of basketball were officially published — setting in motion a chain that leads from James Naismith to Kansas, to Dean Smith, and ultimately to Michael Jordan. A reminder of how sports history echoes forward in ways no one could have predicted.

📍 College Football Playoff Championship
🗓 Monday Night
🏟 Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, FL
📺 ESPN

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