On January 19th, 2026 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida: the Indiana Hoosiers beat the Miami Hurricanes with a score of 27-21 to win the College Football Playoff National Championship. The Indiana Hoosiers and Fernando Mendoza had been favored to win the National Championship, however, the Miami Hurricanes had put up a fight with Carson Beck as their quarterback.
Carson Beck, born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, was the University of Miami’s quarterback for the 2025-2026 season, previously starting as the quarterback for the University of Georgia from the years 2020-2024. Carson Beck had played a total of five years of college football when he entered the 2025-2026 season, utilizing the NCAA’s COVID-19 eligibility policy. The COVID-19 eligibility policy granted Beck with the authority to play college football when he transferred to the University of Miami to become a graduate student. However, despite Beck being enrolled in graduate school level courses, he stated that he had been primarily focused on his final college football season rather than attending his classes. Maybe this was a wise decision because Beck had a successful college football career all around with over 11,000 passing yards, a 37-6 record, 88 passing touchdowns, and 7 rushing. Beck has stated that he will be entering the 2026 NFL draft that will take place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 23rd to April 25th.
Despite Carson Beck’s success, he seemed to be no match for Fernando Mendoza, the 22-year-old Indiana Hoosiers quarterback. Mendoza led the Indiana Hoosiers for their 16-0 undefeated season. Mendoza, who grew up in Miami, Florida, also had a successful career. He debuted his college football career with the University of California, Berkeley throughout the
years 2022-2024. For his final year in college football, Mendoza transferred to Indiana University. Mendoza had over 8,000 passing yards, 71 passing touchdowns, and 11 rushing. Mendoza had also won the 2025 Heisman Trophy, becoming the first Indiana quarterback in history to win the award. Mendoza has also stated that he will be entering the 2026 NFl draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is no doubt that Mendoza will be a first pick due to his success, but the question is, where will he be? The Las Vegas Raiders have expressed interest in Mendoza, and numerous mock drafts have put Mendoza as the number one pick for the Raiders. Despite the Raiders unsuccessful past few seasons, Mendoza has expressed interest. What is next for Fernando Mendoza remains unknown, but the chances that we will see him as the Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback for the 2026-2027 NFL season are likely.
The College Football Playoff National Championship was nothing less than a rollercoaster. At the end of the first quarter, the Indiana Hoosiers led 3-0 secured by the Hoosier’s kicker, Nico Radicic. The first quarter remained relatively calm, while the second quarter picked up the pace. At halftime, Indiana led 10-0, with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by their tight end, Riley Nowakowski. To some, Indiana had secured a victory, however, 10-0 is not a big lead. The Hurricanes slowly started to crawl back, but not enough to reach the Indiana Hoosiers. Going into the fourth quarter, the score was 17-7 led by Indiana. For Miami, running back Mark Fletcher Jr. scored a 57-yard rushing touchdown to put the first scores on the board for the Hurricanes. But just a few minutes later, Indiana’s linebacker Isaiah Jones had a zero-yard blocked punt return, creating more distance in the scores. The game seemed primarily successful for Indiana, however, the fourth quarter was full of suspense and many points scored. Starting off, Miami’s running back Mark Fletcher Jr. secured a three-yard rushing touchdown for Miami. However, about five minutes later, Fernando Mendoza had his iconic twelve-yard rushing
touchdown, breaking a tackle. The touchdown did not discourage Miami yet, for Carson Beck threw a 22-yard passing touchdown to wide receiver Malachi Toney. The clock kept ticking, and for the majority of the game, it was all defense. Indiana’s kicker, Radicic, was able to kick a 35-yard field goal, almost guaranteeing a championship win. However, Indiana had to defend their territory against Miami for almost 2 minutes. The game ended 27-21, which was the first College Football Playoff National Championship for Indiana University.
