College Football Playoff Takeaways: National Championship

Photo from Imagn

You know the old saying.

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

But that doesn’t tell the whole story.

There was no doubt that Miami worked their tails off last night.

But football is a sport of discipline. And in the end, that’s what decided the game.

And, at the very end, it was almost flipped the game entirely.

Indiana defeats Miami 27-21

The Miami Hurricanes are a more talented team than Indiana.

That’s not a controversial statement. In fact, it’s pretty much just a flat out fact.

The Canes recruiting metrics, across the board, are better in every facet.

No national champion has ever had a blue chip ratio under 50%.

Indiana’s was 8%.

And that showed on the field Monday night.

Indiana quarterback and Heisman Winner Fernando Mendoza was getting beat up all night long. Indiana couldn’t run the ball to save their lives.

It was a struggle all game long.

But discipline, and coaching, was the difference.

Penalties were more or less the same, but Miami’s were must more costly.

An offside call on 3rd and long gave the Hoosiers an extra five yards, and they converted the following third down. They went on to score a touchdown.

They had a face mask on third and extra long, which gave up a first down but, thankfully for Miami, only resulted in a punt.

They didn’t utilize Mark Fletcher enough, who was averaging 6.6 yards per carry, but only had 17 rushing attempts.

They had teammates bickering with each other after a play while the game was still only 3-0 Indiana.

And at the very end, when Indiana had a crucial penalty of their own that cost them a chance at icing the game, Miami still had a chance to win, when Carson Beck threw a backbreaking, championship losing interception.

Which brings us to Indiana.

I mentioned earlier their blue chip ratio was 8%.

A lot of their roster is full of transfers from JMU where Curt Cignetti came from previously, or other G5 schools that Cignetti thought he could mold into a championship roster.

And that ability to not only evaluate talent he could work with, but also get guys who could fit in the culture he is creating, is why Fernando Mendoza, who was getting beat up all game, wasn’t scared to take a couple of huge hits on a clutch 4th down touchdown run.

It’s why the Hoosiers defense stepped up and won the game, despite Carter Smith, the Big 10 Lineman of the year, having a brutal false start that cost them a title clinching drive.

And it’s why, against all odds, Indiana went from a program that had three bowl wins in school history, secured three bowl wins in one postseason, and are the new national champions of college football.

Credit to Mario Cristobal and Miami for an outstanding year, and an awesome playoff run, but a big congratulations to Indiana football for doing what I frankly never thought would be possible.

The Indiana Hoosiers are national champions, and they did it on the backs of great coaching and a bunch of G5 talent.

The Hoosiers are proof that, for mid level Power 5 schools, and even G5 schools that can evaluate talent well, that it can be done.