National Championship: Miami Hurricanes vs. Indiana Hoosiers | Full Game Highlights

YouTube ^ | 1/19/2026 | ESPN College Football and ESPN

[Paul R.]

Watch full game highlights from the College Football Playoff National Championship as the Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Miami Hurricanes, 27-21. Fernando Mendoza threw for 186 YDS on 16-of-27 pass attempts with 1 rushing TD while RB Kaelon Black led the Hoosiers in rushing with 79 YDS on 17 carries.

[Paul R.]

I was surprised to not see a thread about this!

Darn good game. A lot of people didn't think it would be so close. Miami had a heck of a shot near the end: If Beck had thrown that ball a wee bit harder...

In any event, congrats to the Hoosiers, and to Miami too, for a great season!

[nickcarraway]

Miami should be banned from next years playoffs. They targeted and ate hit Fernando Mendoza twice in the first quarter, and he was never the same again. Shameful of the referees to let it go. I wonder if Mendoza will pay in the pros now.

Then a Miami payer attacked an Indiana payer after the game ended.

[hole_n_one]

Here

[zeestephen]

Thanks for posting the Miami-Indiana tape, Paul R.

I got to watch all the best plays, in about 10 minutes, with no advertising.

Very efficient fun.

The new Transfer Window and Pay-To-Play has probably changed college football forever.

[ggboss]

“The new Transfer Window and Pay-To-Play has probably changed college football forever.”

Profundity abounds.

Maybe your first clue is that an erstwhile crap-hole football program like Indiana University is now National Champions

[Paul R.]

Yeah, that helmet right into Mendoza’s chinstrap was really excessive. He seemed fine after the game, though.

[V_TWIN]

Hey it is Miami after all.......some things never change.

Thug U’s motto has always been “if you can’t beat ‘em, beat ‘em up”......that program has been ghetto since at least the 80’s and the head coach played there so it really shouldn’t be a surprise.

[quilterdebbie]

Yes, it was a good game! I didn’t think I would watch it because I wasn’t rooting for one of the teams, but I stayed with it!

[Laslo Fripp]

BFL

[AAABEST]

It was a great game right to the end.

Indiana is an amazing team but Miami forced them into a physical match when they wanted to play their usual technical and QB focused game. The Canes D-line was relentless on Mendoza.

Miami gave it away with mistakes. Penalties and turnovers will just kill you with a disciplined team like the Hoosiers.

[God luvs America]

Miami should be banned?? Or the officials who did not make the call?

[God luvs America]

LOL- great things can happen when you have a great coach....Cignetti is the best football coach in America; college or pro...

BTW- look at the overall talent Indiana brought in through the portal versus a Mississippi, Miami, Ohio State, etc, etc and you’ll see how dumb your post is...

[Paul R.]

Cignetti sure has a great record of turning programs around:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Cignetti

Mendoza seems to be a real quality kid too:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Mendoza#Personal_life

I’ve never been a big Indiana U. fan — my Dad went to Purdue!! But, having learned a bit more about these two, it does have to give me a smile. :-)

[Paul R.]

You are most welcome.

I was in and out so much during the game (mainly getting prepped for what was, for us, a very chilly night!) that the highlights filled in quite a bit that I’d missed. I still like the commentary and replays throughout the game - hopefully I can just sit down and watch at least one of the NFL Conference Championships, even tho’ all the teams I was originally rooting for are out...

[yldstrk]

I despise thugball which Miami played. Congrats to Indiana for a perfect season and a big win.

[Paul R.]

Ah, there we go! Nothing of the team names were in the title, so, my quick search based on them didn’t work.

Thanks!

[hinckley buzzard]

Used to be known as ‘The Convicts’. Looks like the shoe still fits. Following on social media, there is widespread antipathy toward Miami U that I wasn’t aware of. Nobody likes these thugs.

[Bernard]

Probably not enough people on FR who were betting on the game, so there must have been enough interest to have a live thread.

Seems like there was a lot more interest in college bowl games played around New Years Day. Apparently America has not caught up to the college money-changers scheduling.

At this pace, in a few years it will have the same status as the WNBA finals or the Golden Globes.

[Paul R.]

Here it was:

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4363017/posts

I had just used the wrong search terms...

[Bernard]

so there must have been enough interest

must NOT have been Can't even blame spellcheck for that one.