College Football National Title Live Chat: Fernando Mendoza vs. Miami, Round Two

Who will be the champion this year?

Thomas Dunn@Thomasdunn24

With Indiana taking on Miami in the natty, former Cal QB Fernando Mendoza will get a shot to avenge October 5th, 2024 Mendoza and the Bears were up 35-10 over a T10 Miami team before giving it up and being in the middle of this controversy Cal stays in the national storylines

3:44 AM · Jan 10, 2026 · 2.98K Views

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College Football Playoff National Championship

#1 Indiana vs. #10 Miami

Hard Rock Stadium - Miami Gardens, FL

4:30 pm PT, 7:30 pm ET - ESPN

It has been a Cinderella season for Cal graduate Fernando Mendoza. He led Indiana to an undefeated regular season and a Big Ten Title. He won the Heisman Trophy and became one of the best stories in college football. He has been near perfect in the playoff, dominating Alabama in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal and Oregon in the Peach Bowl semifinal.

But now it’s back home. In Miami, against Miami, the hometown team that rejected him. Miami, a team that scored three upsets against top 10 teams on the way to the title game. Miami, a team that 15 months ago, right after College Gameday in Berkeley, provided him an opportunity for his biggest win at Cal, only to see it slip away.

Indiana is the favorite in every way against Miami, but we have seen upsets in college football happen plenty. This will be a chance for a California Golden Bear to win a national title. Is it time for a new era in college football?

Discuss the game with us