Miami vs. Indiana: 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship Game Preview

             Miami vs. Indiana: 2025 National Championship Game Preview

    The National Championship Game of the 2025 college football season takes place on Monday, January 19, at 7:30 pm, on ESPN, between the No. 10 seed, the Miami Hurricanes, and the top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers. This should be an interesting game to cap off the 2025 college football season. All the stakes, key matchups, and a prediction will be discussed here. 

    The Stakes:     The stakes could not be higher. This is a battle for the ultiand tmate prize in all of the sport of college football, being crowned National Champions. Miami is seeking their sixth National Championship in program history and their first since 2001. Indiana, meanwhile, is looking to cap off their dream season with their first ever National Championship. 

    When Miami has the Ball:      When Miami has the ball, they will be led by quarterback Carson Beck. On the season, Beck has thrown 435 passes with 319 completions for 3,581 yards with 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Against Ole Miss in the semifinals, he went 23 for 37 for 268 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also had the go-ahead rushing touchdown with under a minute left that wound up winning the game for the Hurricanes. His top target is freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney, who has caught 99 passes for 1,089 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Other factors in the passing game include Keelan Marion, who has 56 catches for 740 yards and two touchdowns this year, CJ Daniels, who has caught 46 passes for 495 yards and seven touchdowns this season, tight end Elija Lofton, who has caught 23 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns this season, and Joshua Moore, who has 16 catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns on the year. The Hurricanes rank 38th in the country in passing offense, averaging 254.6 passing yards per game. On the ground, their starting running back is Mark Fletcher, who has carried the ball 199 times for 1,080 yards and 10 touchdowns so far this season. Their backup running backs are CharMar Brown, who has carried the ball 119 times for 469 yards and seven touchdowns, and Girard Pringle Jr., who has 62 carries for 375 yards and four touchdowns this season. Miami has the 72nd best rushing offense in the country, averaging 154.6 rushing yards per game. Overall, Miami ranks 31st in the country in scoring offense, averaging 31.6 points per game, and 41st in the country in total offense, averaging 409.2 total yards per game. Indiana's defense, meanwhile, ranks 2nd in the country in scoring defense, only giving up 11.1 points per game. At linebacker, they are led by Rolijah Hardy, who leads the team with 99 tackles and eight sacks, Aiden Fisher, who is second on the team with 91 tackles, sixth on the team with 3.5 sacks, and tied for third on the team with two interceptions, and Isaiah Jones, who is fourth on the team with 76 tackles and second on the team with seven sacks. Up front, they are led by Tyrique Tucker, who ranks ninth on the team with 37 tackles and third on the team with six sacks, Stephan Daley, who is tenth on the team with 35 tackles and fourth on the team with 5.5 sacks, Hosea Wheeler, who is tied for eleventh on the team with 30 tackles, Mikail Kamara, who is tied for eleventh on the team with 30 tackles and tied for eighth on the team with two sacks, Mario Landino, who is tied for thirteenth on the team with 28 tackles and fifth on the team with five sacks, Kellen Wyatt, who is tied for thirteenth on the team with 28 tackles and seventh on the team with 2.5 sacks, Dominique Ratcliff, who is fifteenth on the team with 15 tackles and tenth on the team with 1.5 sacks, and Daniel Ndukwe, who is sixteenth on the team with 12 tackles and tied for eighth on the team with two sacks. Indiana ranks 2nd in the country in rushing defense, only giving up 75.0 rushing yards per game. In the secondary, they are led by Louis Moore, who is third on the team with 83 tackles, tied for sixth on the team with two passes defended, and first on the team with six interceptions, Devan Boykin, who is fifth on the team with 56 tackles, third on the team with five passes defended, and tied for third on the team with two interceptions, D'Angelo Ponds, who ranks sixth on the team with 55 tackles, first on the team with seven passes defended, and tied for third on the team with two interceptions, Amare Ferrell, who is seventh on the team with 47 tackles, second on the team with six passes defended, and second on the team with four interceptions, and Jamari Sharpe, who is eighth on the team with 43 tackles and tied for fifth on the team with four passes defended. The Hoosiers rank 23rd in the country in passing defense, giving up 185.9 passing yards per game. Overall, Indiana ranks fourth in the country in total defense, giving up 260.6 total yards per game. From a matchup perspective, even though Mark Fletcher has had a good playoff for Miami, against Indiana's elite rushing defense, he may struggle. If he does, this could cause problems for the Hurricanes, as that would put everything on the shoulders of Carson Beck. Carson Beck would then have to perform extremely well under all of that pressure. 

    When Indiana has the Ball:          When Indiana has possession of the football, their quarterback is Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. On the season, Mendoza has thrown 352 passes with 257 completions for 3,349 yards with 41 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He is efficient as well, averaging 9.5 yards per attempt. His top two targets are wide receivers Omar Cooper Jr., who has 64 catches for 866 yards and 13 touchdowns this season, and Elijah Sarratt, who has 62 catches for 802 yards and 15 touchdowns on the year. Other factors in the passing game include Charlie Becker, who has 30 catches for 614 yards and four touchdowns on the season, E.J. Williams Jr., who has 36 catches for 438 yards and six touchdowns this year, and tight end Riley Nowakowski, who has 30 catches for 370 yards and two touchdowns this season. Indiana ranks 54th in the country in passing offense, averaging 242.7 passing yards per game. In the ground game, the Hoosiers have two prominent running backs in Roman Hemby, who has carried the ball 211 times for 1,060 yards and seven touchdowns this season, and Kaelon Black, who has 169 carries for 961 yards and ten touchdowns this year. Khobie Martin also is a factor in the running game, having carried the ball 78 times for 505 yards and six touchdowns this season. The Hoosiers have the 12th best rushing offense in the country, averaging 218.3 rushing yards per game. Overall, Indiana ranks 3rd in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 42.6 points per game, and 11th in the country in total offense, averaging 461.0 total yards per game. They are up against a Miami defense that ranks 5th in the country in total defense, only giving up 14.0 points per game. At linebacker, they are led by Mohamed Toure, who leads the team with 73 tackles, is eighth on the team with two sacks, and is tied for third on the team with five passes defended, Wesley Bissainthe, who is third on the team with 63 tackles, Raul Aguirre Jr., who is ninth on the team with 42 tackles, and Chase Smith, who is tenth on the team with 29 tackles. Up front, the Hurricanes have a dominant pass rush led by Akheem Mesidor, who ranks sixth on the team with 60 tackles and leads the team with 10.5 sacks, Reuben Bain Jr., who is seventh on the team with 46 tackles and second on the team with 8.5 sacks, David Blay Jr., who is eleventh on the team with 27 tackles, Ahmad Moten Sr., who is twelfth on the team with 26 tackles and fourth on the team with 4.5 sacks, Marquise Lightfoot, who is tied for fourteenth on the team with 23 tackles and tied for sixth on the team with 2.5 sacks, Justin Scott, who is tied for fourteenth on the team with 23 tackles, and Armondo Blount, who is tied for seventeenth on the team with 17 tackles and tied for sixth on the team with 2.5 sacks. Overall, the Hurricanes rank 6th in the nation in rushing offense, giving up 86.5 rushing yards per game. In the secondary, they are led by Jakobe Thomas, who is second on the team with 69 tackles, fifth on the team with 3.5 sacks, second on the team with six passes defended, and second on the team with five interceptions, Zechariah Poyser, who ranks fourth on the team with 62 tackles and is tied for third on the team with five passes defended, Keionte Scott, who is fifth on the team with 61 tackles, third on the team with five sacks, tied for third on the team with five passes defended, and third on the team with two interceptions, Xavier Lucas, who is eighth on the team with 45 tackles, leads the team with eight passes defended, and is tied for fourth on the team with one interception, Damari Brown, who is thirteenth on the team with 24 tackles, Ethan O'Conner, who is tied for fourteenth on the team with 23 tackles and is seventh on the team with four passes defended, OJ Frederique Jr., who is tied for seventeenth on the team with 17 tackles and is tied for third on the team with five passes defended, and Bryce Fitzgerald, who is nineteenth on the team with 15 tackles and leads the team with six interceptions. Miami ranks 45th in the nation in passing defense, giving up 206.1 passing yards per game. Overall, the Hurricanes rank 11th in the country in total defense, giving up 292.6 total yards per game. From a matchup perspective, Miami's rushing defense may take Indiana's ground game out of the game to an extent, putting more pressure on Fernando Mendoza to make plays. How much time he has to make those plays will be critical, considering how good Miami's pass rush is. If Miami wants to slow down Indiana and stay in the game, they have to stifle Indiana's rushing attack and pressure Mendoza. 

    Prediction:       This is an interesting National Championship Game matchup. Indiana has dominated Alabama and Oregon in the playoffs, but Miami has gone on a very impressive playoff run of their own. However, in spite of that, I will go with Indiana to win this game. The Hoosiers have been dominating teams throughout the playoffs, and have looked every bit like the best team in the country during that run. I don't see Miami being able to score much against this Indiana defense. I don't think that Indiana will be able to put up a ton of points, but I think that they will put up enough points to win this game fairly convincingly. I think that Indiana will win this game, complete their fairy tale run, and capture their first ever College Football National Championship. 

    Projected Final Score:      Indiana 28, Miami 10