The Indiana Hoosiers made history on Monday, outplaying the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 in the College Football Playoff Final.
They take home their first national football title at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Curt Cignetti, a 64-year-old veteran coach, and quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a transfer from California, led the Hoosiers to a perfect season, winning 16 straight games.
Indiana became the college football program with the most losses to a championship team, which disrupted Miami’s chances of winning its sixth national championship and first since 2001.
‘HeisMendoza’ delivers knockout blow to Miami’s chances
Mendoza, who earned the Heisman Trophy for being the most outstanding football player this season, placed an exclamation point on a fairy-tale season by spinning in a full circle.
Using his hand to keep his balance and launching himself horizontally to reach the ball over the goal line for a touchdown gave Indiana a crucial 24-14 lead.
Mendoza finished with 186 yards passing, but his 12-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-4 with 9:18 left capped his 2025 season, and the junior quarterback was undeniably the best player in college football.
The ‘Canes’ – the visiting team playing on their home field – had a chance to steal the game as they moved into Indiana territory.
But Carson Beck’s heave got picked off by Jamari Sharpe, a Miami native who made sure the only miracle in this season would be Indiana’s.
READ MORE: PBA finals preview: San Miguel, TNT set for another classic title showdown
From the ‘most losingest’ team to winning its first college football national title
Indiana, which had 715 losses entering the 2025 season, temporarily held the title as the “most losingest” college program before Northwestern lost six this season to overtake the Hoosiers for the most losses with 718.
They now have the CFP trophy that their 805,000 living alumni, including billionaire Mark Cuban, will cherish.
“It’s way up there, that’s for damn sure,” Cuban said when asked where this ranked among the out-of-nowhere success stories he helped bankroll on his reality show “Shark Tank”.
Indiana finished 16-0 – using the extra games afforded by the expanded 12-team playoff to match a perfect-season win total last compiled by Yale in 1894.
President Donald Trump was in the stands for what he said “turned out to be a great game” after a slow start – Indiana led 10-0 at half.
Miami tried to make it a game thanks to two scores from Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher, who ran for 112 yards.
However, timely plays that included a defensive gem from Mikail Kamara, who slid past the ‘Canes’ protectors and blocked the kick, allowed Isaiah Jones to recover, making it 17-7.
Cignetti accomplished what few imagined possible. Still, after taking advantage of the transfer portal and NIL to build a championship roster, he coached the Hoosiers to their first No. 1 ranking.
They finished off an undefeated campaign in front of 67,227 fans at Hard Rock Stadium, concluding one of the most surprising turnarounds in college football history.
READ NEXT: Soccer news: Senegal triumph over hosts Morocco amid chaotic scenes to win AFCON 2026
Adam Peaker 
Hyacinth Estrada 
Ian Trinidad