College Football Playoff Picture 2026 Bracket After Oregon vs. Indiana Peach Bowl

The best team in college football is one win away from a spot in the history books.

The top-seeded Indiana Hoosiers moved to 15-0 with their College Football Playoff semifinal win over the Oregon Ducks at the Peach Bowl on Friday night.

Indiana meets the 10th-seeded Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on January 19 for the national championship.

Curt Cignetti's Hoosiers have been the best team all season, while Miami's put together an impressive set of wins in the CFB Playoff to be considered in the same class as Indiana.

National Championship Info

Date: Monday, January 19

Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN.com and ESPN app

Game Preview

Indiana steamrolled through its first two CFB Playoff opponents.

The Hoosiers held the Alabama Crimson Tide to three points at the Rose Bowl and gave Oregon no chance to win well before halftime at the Peach Bowl.

The dominant version of Indiana was on display throughout the regular season. The play only got better in the playoff with a well-rounded offensive attack and a stingy defense.

Fernando Mendoza played well in both playoff contests, and he thrived in the big moments in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Mendoza has two running backs in Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black and a wide receiver trio of Charlie Becker, Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt that support him. The quintet of playmakers makes it hard for any defense to completely slow down the Hoosiers.

Defensively, the Hoosiers have been as good as anyone in the FBS. They held four of their last five opponents to 10 points or fewer and they love to pounce on the mistakes of opposing quarterbacks, like they did on the game-opening pick-six against Oregon.

Miami's followed a similar game plan over the last seven games to reach this point. The Hurricanes held six of their last seven opponents to 14 points or fewer. Only the Ole Miss Rebels on Thursday found a way to put up a ton of points on the Hurricanes defense.

Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and wide receiver Malachi Toney are two of the best playmakers the Indiana defense will see all season. Fletcher has two 100-yard games in the playoff and Toney will arguably be the best athlete on the field on January 19.

Miami also has a two-back tandem with CharMar Brown complementing Fletcher. Keelan Marion and C.J. Daniels have both had big games in the playoff from a pass-catching perspective.

The big question around Miami is whether Carson Beck could avoid the big mistake. He did so on Thursday night and finished off the win with a touchdown run. If Beck avoids mistakes again, he will at least have a shot to go throw-for-throw with Mendoza.

Indiana should be the favorite, but Miami can't be counted out in the form it is in.