The dust hasn't even settled yet. Honestly, if you blinked over the last forty-eight hours, you probably missed the most chaotic stretch of this entire postseason. People keep talking about how the expanded bracket would "water down" the stakes, but tell that to the fans who just watched the heavyweights trade blows until the early hours of the morning.
We’re in that weird, frantic gap right now. The semifinals are in the books. The National Championship is looming on the horizon like a final boss. But it's the college football scores last night and the ripples they've sent through the sport that have everyone—from South Beach to the limestone halls of Bloomington—losing their minds.
The Giant has Awakened in Bloomington
Let’s just say it: nobody actually expected Indiana to be this good. It’s one thing to have a nice season; it’s another thing entirely to walk into a Playoff Semifinal and treat a program like Oregon like a directional school during a Week 2 cupcake game.
The Hoosiers didn't just win; they dismantled the Ducks 56-22 in the Peach Bowl. If you missed the late-night highlights, the box score looks like a typo. Indiana’s defense was basically a brick wall that also happened to have hands. They forced three turnovers in the first half alone. D’Angelo Ponds set the tone immediately with a 25-yard pick-six that made Mercedes-Benz Stadium sound like a home game for IU.
By the time halftime rolled around, it was 35-7. Coach Curt Cignetti has this vibe about him—sort of a "I told you so" energy that either irritates you or makes you want to run through a wall for the guy. He’s got the Hoosiers at 15-0.
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- Key Performer: Fernando Mendoza. He went 17-of-20. That's 85 percent completion in the biggest game of his life.
- The Damage: Five passing touchdowns.
- The Support: Kaelon Black hammered the rock for two scores on the ground.
Oregon, meanwhile, looked shell-shocked. They were missing some serious firepower in the backfield with Noah Whittington and Jordon Davison out, but nine rushing yards on 17 carries? That’s not a lack of depth; that’s a total physical mismatch. Dante Moore had a rough night, to put it lightly. He fumbled twice and just couldn't find a rhythm against a secondary that seemed to know his routes better than his own receivers did.
Miami’s Great Escape at the Fiesta Bowl
While Indiana was holding a track meet, the other side of the bracket was a literal street fight. Miami took down Ole Miss 31-27 in a game that felt much closer than the four-point spread suggests. If you were looking for college football scores last night to prove that the ACC is back, this was your evidence.
Mario Cristobal has taken a lot of heat over the years for clock management and late-game "weirdness," but his Hurricanes stayed poised when Lane Kiffin’s Rebels started turning up the heat. Ole Miss is a team that thrives on momentum—they play fast, they talk fast, and they score fast. But Miami’s offensive line, which is basically a group of five future NFL starters who grew up playing together, just wore them down.
Miami is now the first No. 10 seed to ever make it to the National Championship. Think about that. They had to go to College Station and beat Texas A&M. Then they had to take down Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Now, after surviving a dogfight in the desert against Ole Miss, they’re heading home to Hard Rock Stadium for the big one.
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What the Bracketologists Got Wrong
There’s a lot of chatter right now about the "fairness" of the seeding. You’ve got people on Twitter (or X, whatever we’re calling it this week) complaining that a 10-seed shouldn't be playing for a title.
Basically, the argument is that the regular season doesn't matter anymore. But look at the path Miami took. They didn't get a bye. They didn't get a home game. They’ve been on a three-week road trip through the toughest environments in the country and they’re still standing. If anything, the college football scores last night prove that the 12-team format is doing exactly what it was supposed to do: reward the teams that can actually survive a gauntlet.
The SEC, long the king of this sport, is officially out of the running for the trophy. Georgia fell earlier. Ole Miss just went down. Alabama was handled by Indiana in the quarterfinals. It’s a Big Ten vs. ACC finale, and honestly, the sport might be better for it.
Looking Toward Hard Rock Stadium
So, what happens now? The National Championship is set for Monday, January 19th. It’s a homecoming for both sides in a way that feels scripted.
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Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana QB who just torched Oregon, is a Miami native. He grew up in the shadow of Hard Rock Stadium. Now he’s going back there to try and deny his hometown team their first national title in over two decades. On the other side, Mario Cristobal is trying to cement his legacy at his alma mater.
The betting lines opened with Indiana as an 8.5-point favorite. That feels high given how Miami has played lately, but you can't bet against 15-0 and a team that just put up 56 points in a semifinal.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re trying to keep up with the fallout of the college football scores last night, don't just look at the final numbers. Dig into the injury reports coming out of the Fiesta Bowl. Miami’s defensive front looked a little gapped in the fourth quarter, and if they aren't 100% healthy, Mendoza will pick them apart just like he did to the Ducks.
Also, keep an eye on the transfer portal. While these two teams are focused on the trophy, the rest of the country is currently in a feeding frenzy. Players from the teams that lost last night are already starting to "evaluate their options."
Your Post-Game Checklist:
- Check the status of Miami’s O-line. They had two guys go down with "stingers" late against Ole Miss.
- Watch the Indiana local news. The fans in Bloomington are already removing the fish from Showalter Fountain in anticipation of a riotous celebration.
- Grab your tickets now. If you're planning to head to Miami Gardens, prices are already skyrocketing on the secondary market.
This season has been a fever dream. Between Indiana’s rise from the cellar to Miami’s "road warrior" playoff run, we are staring down a final game that no one saw coming back in August. Enjoy the chaos while it lasts.