Indiana is an overwhelming early favorite against Miami in the national championship game.
The No. 1 Hoosiers have opened as 7.5-point favorites at BetMGM against the No. 10 Hurricanes on Jan. 19 in Miami. Though Miami would appear to have a home-field advantage, Indiana fans took over Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the school’s Peach Bowl win over Oregon in Atlanta and should be well-represented in South Florida. After all, Indiana is looking to win its first national title in school history.
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Indiana is -300 to win the game straight up, while Miami is at +240. A $10 bet on Indiana would net $3.33, while a $10 bet on Miami to win the game would profit $24.
A victory for the Hoosiers would be a third straight national championship for the Big Ten. Michigan won the final four-team playoff at the end of the 2023 season and Ohio State won four playoff games to take the national title a season ago. Miami is looking to win its first national title since the 2001 season and become the first ACC team since Clemson after the 2018 season to win the national title.
Indiana was a 3.5-point favorite ahead of its 56-22 blowout win over Oregon on Friday night. The Hoosiers had a 35-7 lead at halftime and a 42-7 lead just after the third quarter started to make the rest of the game a formality.
Miami took down Ole Miss 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night after Carson Beck rushed for the game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds left. Beck transferred to Miami ahead of the 2025 season after spending four seasons at Georgia. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza is in his first year at Indiana after transferring from Cal.
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Mendoza had four incompletions and five touchdown passes against Oregon. It was the fifth time over 15 games this season that he had thrown more touchdowns than incompletions.
Indiana is also trying to make modern college football history as the only undefeated team remaining at the top level. If Indiana can beat Miami, the Hoosiers will be the first team since Yale in 1894 to go 16-0. A season ago, Ohio State and Notre Dame became the first modern teams to play 16 games thanks to the advent of the 12-team playoff. Both finished 14-2 after the Buckeyes lost to Oregon and Michigan during the regular season.
