We may or may not be living in a simulation, but the Indiana Hoosiers are now one win away from claiming their first national championship on the college football gridiron. At 15-0, the Big Ten, Rose Bowl, and Peach Bowl champions are about to play the Cotton Bowl and Fiesta Bowl champion Miami Hurricanes at their place for the ultimate prize. The latest betting odds suggest something intriguing...
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Indiana will be laying a whopping 8.5 points in the 2025-26 national championship game vs. Miami. This game just so happens to be played at Miami's home venue of Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The associated moneylines for this game have Indiana at a sizable -340, with Miami serving as the decided home underdogs here at +275.
For those who do not appreciate the history of all this, we are talking about arguably the losingest program in Power Four college football in Indiana, giving nearly nine points away at the home stadium of a program that has won five national titles in its history in Miami. It would be like Wake Forest laying 10 or so points at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Georgia Bulldogs' backyard of Atlanta in a title bout.
Indiana's national title odds went from +120 to -310 at halftime during their beatdown on Oregon...
Indiana might be facing real pressure for the first time all season long
While pressure can make diamonds, it can also crush you... What sort of organic material are Curt Cignetti's Indiana Hoosiers made out of? On paper, Miami may actually have the more talented team. Outside of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, how many other Indiana players are destined to go in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft? Miami may have three or more guys taken.
When we look at what has transpired for both of these teams to be here, we have seen a team assert its dominance every step of the way in Indiana, going up against a team that is talented, but flawed, but also incredibly perseverant in Miami. Indiana laying 8.5 points already with more than a week out before this game is alarming. Miami is good, and The U may win it all. Of course, IU might break them...
Overall, Indiana is being projected to crush Miami, just like the Hoosiers did to Oregon in Atlanta and the Alabama Crimson Tide in Pasadena. Indiana does have a few close calls under its belt, but those came weeks and months ago. The real question now is if Miami will give the Hoosiers a game of it like Iowa did, Ohio State did, and Oregon did the first time around. Indiana better be ready for anything...
For now, water may find its level with these betting odds, but Indiana might still be a sizable favorite.