2025 College Football: CFP National Championship Takeaways
This is it. Everything that the 136 FBS teams have gone through has culminated in this moment. Just two teams remained: (1) Indiana and (10) Miami. We all expected the Hoosiers to be here. The Hurricanes barely got into the field but won 3 nail-biters to play for this title. So who won the Dr. Pepper trophy and how? Indiana capped off a perfect season, but it wasn’t nearly as easy as their previous matchups. Miami fought their tails off despite never leading, and they remained within striking distance. However, a few clutch plays were enough to swing the game. Let’s see what went down in my CFP National Championship takeaways!
(1) Indiana 27, (10) Miami 21
Let’s start off by dispelling something people keep saying: this was NOT a home game for Miami. While it was played at their stadium, they were the designated visitors. They wore their road uniforms and used the road team’s tunnel. The stadium had more IU fans than Hurricanes fans. In that sense, this was more of a homecoming game for Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza, who is from Miami and played high school football there. With that out of the way, let’s discuss the game proper. The first half wasn’t actually all that interesting. Both defenses were really good, but Miami’s offense just had nothing to offer whatsoever.
For the first time in a while, the Hurricanes lost at the line of scrimmage. Indiana’s defensive line stuffed the rushing attack, while their offensive line opened holes. Miami didn’t score a single first-half point. They nearly had a 50-yard FG late in the half after converting a risky 4th-and-1 on their own 34, but K Carter Davis doinked the kick. Indiana had very slightly more offensive success. RB Kaelon Black (17/79) ran really well, gaining yards after contact every time. Still, only two drives went anywhere for the Hoosiers. Despite missing too many tackles, Miami’s defense got pressure, which Indiana hadn’t faced in a while.
The Hoosiers earned 10 points on two possessions that lasted 6+ minutes, but the real action started in the 3rd quarter. CB Xavier Lucas returned for Miami after sitting out the first half (wrongly) due to a targeting penalty in the Fiesta Bowl. With the back end reinforced, the Canes’ pass rush took off. DE Akheem Mesidor (2 sacks) earned the team’s first sack of the game, and even after a dumb facemask by a teammate on 3rd-and-17, fellow DE Rueben Bain sacked Mendoza again to kill the drive. On Miami’s second offensive play of the half, RB Mark Fletcher (17/112/2) ran for a 57-yard TD, and the U was right back in it.
Quarter #3 was miserable for Indiana’s offense. Mendoza, who barely had any incompletions in the CFP, didn’t complete a single pass during the third frame. One wasn’t his fault: WR Elijah Sarratt (3/28) had a rough drop on a 3rd-down play that wrecked a drive. Otherwise, the Hoosiers couldn’t move the ball. Their defense, however, returned to form. Miami didn’t convert a 3rd down in the first half, and that continued well into the 3rd. One failure led to a 4th-and-1 punt from their own 16. I would’ve gone for it to let my defense rest, but Miami didn’t. DL Mikail Kamara blocked the punt, and LB Isaiah Jones recovered it in the end zone for 6.
To their credit, Miami responded with their best drive of the day. It was an 81-yard march that featured their first pair of 3rd-down conversions and another Fletcher TD. Knowing they had to extend their 17-14 lead, Indiana made a gutsy call on their next possession. On 4th-and-5, Mendoza threw a bit of an off-target pass to WR Charlie Becker (4/65), who snagged it for the conversion. A few plays and two burnt timeouts later, Indiana faced 4th-and-4 at the Miami 12. HC Curt Cignetti nearly sent the field goal team out, but he opted to go for it with the goal of creating a two-possession game. The play will live in Indiana lore.
Mendoza (16/27, 186 yards; rush TD) ran a QB draw and broke several tackles before diving over a desperate Canes defense to break the plane and score. If he hadn’t already won the Heisman, this would’ve been his Heisman moment. You can honestly call that play horrendous tackling by Miami, but it was still a great individual effort. Improbably, the Hurricanes had another reply. QB Carson Beck (19/32, 232, TD, INT), with great protection, had his best passing effort. WR Malachi Toney (10/122/1) was the focal point, and he caught the TD on the drive. Down just 3 once more, the Hurricanes needed one more defensive stand.
Alas, they struggled. For some reason, they could no longer stop the run. Additionally, a 3rd-and-7 back-shoulder completion to Becker was a killer. Indiana nearly ran out the clock. They had 2nd-and-1 at the Miami 14 with 1:56 to go, and the Canes had two timeouts left. A first down would’ve essentially ended the game. However, the slightest false start by LT Carter Smith, who had an otherwise fantastic game, gave Miami life. The Hoosiers would have to settle for a field goal. Following a touchback on the kickoff (which was odd because the Hurricanes were returning poorly all night), Beck had a chance to write his own legacy.
The drive started horribly, with a delay of game and a throwaway under pressure. Beck threw another incompletion on 2nd-and-15, but a late hit incurred roughing the passer. I wasn’t sure that Beck could continue as he staggered back to the huddle, be he soldiered on. Miami made it to the IU 47, but Beck misread a safety and threw an INT to S Jamari Sharpe for his last college pass. I couldn’t help but think that Cam Ward would’ve won this game for the Hurricanes, but that’s probably unfair. Beck played his best when he team needed him most throughout the CFP. Just in this one crucial moment, he couldn’t get it done.
With that, Indiana finished 16-0, a stunning turnaround for a program that was one of the FBS’ worst. Cignetti actually smiled! Eventually. Not when the clock hit 0:00, but later. If it’s any consolation to Hurricanes fans, the U is back. Bain, Mesidor, and RT Francis Mauigoa won’t be back next year (they’ll be early NFL draft picks), but HC Mario Cristobal built a team with staying power. This night, however, belonged to Indiana. A team with zero 5-star recruits simply out-executed every team they faced. You’re looking at the new era of college football. Any team can improve in a hurry. Maybe next year that team will be yours.