No. 10 Miami has advanced to the College Football Playoff national championship game after defeating No. 6 Ole Miss 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday.
This year’s Fiesta Bowl, which took place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, served as the first of two semifinal matchups.
No. 1 Indiana will play No. 5 Oregon on Friday in the Peach Bowl, and the winner will face Miami on Monday, Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Here’s a quick look at those two teams as the riveting rematch of Indiana’s 30-20 win at Oregon on Oct. 11 approaches.
Indiana is the best and most well-rounded team in the nation. The lone undefeated team remaining (14-0) is third in points per game (41.6) and second in fewest points allowed per game (10.3). Overall, Indiana has outscored its opponents 583-144.
The Hoosiers also have done this against a No. 23 ranked strength of schedule, so it isn’t as if Indiana has played cupcakes, with wins over Ohio State, Oregon and Alabama (of note). Indiana rolled into the CFP with a 13-0 record and Big Ten title and promptly crushed ‘Bama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl.
Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza is this team’s on- and off-field leader. For the season, the Cal transfer led Division I-FBS with 36 touchdowns, 9.6 yards per pass attempt and a 184.7 quarterback rating.
He could very well be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft and currently sits fifth overall (and first among quarterbacks) on the latest B/R NFL Scouting Department big board.
The Hoosiers also sported a dominant rushing attack led by Roman Hemby (1,007 rushing yards, seven scores) and Kaelon Black (898 rushing yards, eight touchdowns).
Wide receivers Omar Cooper Jr. (61 catches, 849 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns) and Elijah Sarratt (55/727/13) lead a fantastic pass-catching group.
The defense is tremendous as well. Linebacker Rolijah Hardy leads the unit with 92 tackles and eight sacks.
The Hoosiers are unfortunately without defensive lineman Stephen Daley, whose 19 tackles for loss lead the team. Daley sadly suffered a season-ending leg injury while extending himself to high-five fans after his team’s 13-10 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game.
The Indiana secondary has been a major problem for opponents all year. Defensive back Louis Moore leads the Big Ten with six interceptions, and D’Angelo Ponds has amassed a team-high eight pass breakups.
Oregon’s lone loss was to Indiana. Otherwise, the 13-1 Ducks have been thoroughly dominant, outscoring their opponents 532-212. All but two of their 13 wins have been by two of more possessions.
The Ducks are led by former UCLA star Dante Moore at quarterback. The 20-year-old Moore has completed 72.9 percent of his passes for 3,280 yards and 28 touchdowns (nine picks). He’s ninth overall and second among quarterbacks on the B/R big board and could very well be a top-two pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
Oregon has a three-headed monster at running back thanks to Noah Whittington (927 yards from scrimmage, 7 touchdowns), Jordan Davison (729 yards, 15 scores) and Dierre Hill Jr. (682/6). Unfortunately, Davison suffered a broken clavicle against Texas Tech and will miss the CFP semifinal.
Six Ducks pass-catchers have 26 or more receptions and 306 or more receiving yards, led by wide receiver Malik Benson (41/696/6) and tight end Kenyon Sadiq (46/531/8).
On defense, Oregon has an amazing linebacker crew led by Teitum Tuioti and his 66 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. Bryce Boettcher’s 125 tackles pace the team. The Ducks also have three interceptions returned for touchdowns this year.
The two teams played before, and Indiana emerged with the impressive 10-point win.
Sarratt caught eight passes for 121 yards and one touchdown. Hemby rushed 19 times for 70 yards and two scores.
Mendoza didn’t have the best game (20-of-31, 215 yards, one touchdown and a pick-six).
However, he rebounded well after Brandon Finney Jr. returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown to help tie the game at 20.
Mendoza promptly led Indiana on a 12-play, 75-yard drive capped by his eight-yard touchdown pass to Sarratt.
The defense then took over as Louis Moore and then Isaiah Jones picked off Dante Moore on back-to-back possessions. In between, Nico Radicic kicked a 22-yard field goal for the 30-20 lead.
Now the two teams will square off for a national championship berth. Both teams are looking for their first-ever national title.
Kickoff is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.