Game time: TV info, odds, keys to No. 10 Miami vs. No. 1 Indiana in title game
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National championship: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 1 Indiana
When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
TV: ESPN
Coaches: Mario Cristobal 35-18 at UM, (97-78 overall); Curt Cignetti 26-2 at Indiana (145-37 overall)
Line: Indiana is favored by 7.5 points
Weather: 62 degrees, 0 percent chance of precipitation
Quick slant: Neither of these teams were likely national champions at the start of the season, and they took different paths to get to this game. UM overcame two midseason losses and had to beat two top SEC teams and the reigning national champions to reach the title game. Indiana, which entered the season as the losingest Division I program in the nation, has gone undefeated en route to Monday’s title game.
About No. 10 Miami (13-2): The Hurricanes snuck past Ole Miss in the semifinals, scoring a last-minute touchdown and surviving a desperate drive from the Rebels. UM has won five national championships, but has not played in a title game since the 2002 season.
About No. 1 Indiana (15-0): The Hoosiers have not seen much success in the program’s 139-year history. Indiana won its third Big 10 championship by beating Ohio State, and the Hoosiers routed Alabama and Oregon in the playoffs before facing UM.
Three things to watch
1. The Hurricanes will have to slow down Hoosiers Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Miami native has thrown more touchdown passes (eight) than incompletions (five) in the playoffs. Miami will have to find a way to contain him even though it is short on cornerbacks: Xavier Lucas will miss the first half of the game after being called for targeting penalty against Ole Miss, Damari Brown has missed every playoff game due to a foot injury and is questionable for Monday, and OJ Frederique Jr. has been banged up, playing just five snaps against Ole Miss.
2. Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck will have to avoid turnovers against the Hoosiers. Indiana has 18 interceptions this season, including D’Angelo Ponds‘ game-opening pick-six against Oregon. Indiana is the No. 1 team in the nation in turnover margin (21 more takeaways than giveaways), so UM will need to be careful with the ball.
3. Miami will have to play mistake-free football against Indiana. The Hoosiers capitalize on other teams’ mistakes, and UM has been prone to errors this season. The Hurricanes are 85th nationally with 57.1 penalty yards per game. After having only four penalties for 30 yards in its first two playoff games, Miami had 10 penalties for 74 yards against Ole Miss in the semifinals.
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