Which team are you picking on Monday night?
The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship is coming up fast. Indiana and Miami duel at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night. Interestingly enough, Syracuse football has a connection to both programs in the finale of the college football season.
First of all, let’s see who the fans think will be taking home the trophy after the game. Perhaps without surprise, the majority of fans are picking the No. 1 overall seed in Indiana. What might be surprising to some is how many people are choosing the Hoosiers to come out victorious.
The fans have made their voices heard on the spread of the game as well. According’s to Fanduel’s odds, Indiana is a heavy -8.5 point favorite. And a similar large majority of fans are taking Indiana’s points.
Indiana is led by the Heisman Trophy winner in Fernando Mendoza. The potential No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft wasn’t always the lofty quarterback prospect that he is now. Syracuse fans might remember Mendoza when he was still with Cal in 2024. The Orange traveled to Berkeley that season to play the Golden Bears. Mendoza that day threw for 225 yards on 22-34 passing with one touchdown late in the game, two interceptions and four sacks. On the flip side, Kyle McCord threw for 323 yards on 29-46 passing and one touchdown. Two rushing touchdowns from LeQuint Allen helped the Orange to a 33-25 victory over Cal that day.
Syracuse has certainly had the interesting recent football history with Miami. The Orange upset the then No. 6 Hurricanes on the final day of the 2024 season, winning 42-38. The loss denied Miami a spot in the ACC Championship and the College Football Playoff, with the Hurricanes ranked as the second team out by the committee.
Miami also initially struggled against Syracuse during this season. The Hurricanes punted on their first four possessions of the game and didn’t score until the 2:13 mark of the second quarter when Carson Beck caught a pass from Malachi Toney for a touchdown. 23 seconds later, Keionte Scott picked off Rickie Collins for a house call. The Hurricanes played a complete game after that in the second half to easily dismantle the Orange 38-10 in Hard Rock Stadium.
Who’s claiming all the glory in the CFP National Championship game this year? Sound off in the comments below.
Category: General Sports
