"It looked improbable two months ago. Two years ago - impossible. But against the odds, Miami and Indiana have a date in the College Football Playoff final - a first-of-its-kind matchup on Jan. 19 in the second national title game of the expanded-playoff era. The Hoosiers (15-0), the top-seeded favorite in the 12-team tournament, stomped Oregon 56-22 on Friday night to reach the final. The Hurricanes (13-2), seeded 10th and the last at-large team to make the field, beat Mississippi 31-27 the night before."
"The game is set for Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida - the long-ago-chosen venue for a game that happens to be the home of the Hurricanes. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is a Miami native who grew up less than a mile from the campus in Coral Gables. "It means a little bit more to me," Mendoza said of the title game doubling as a homecoming. He'll be going against the program known as "The U." Miami won five titles between 1983 and 2001 and earned the reputation as college football's brashest renegade."
"Miami's was sparked by coach Mario Cristobal, a local boy and former 'Cane himself who came back home four years ago to lead his alma mater to a place it hasn't been in decades. Among his biggest wins was luring quarterback Carson Beck to spend his final year of eligibility with the 'Canes. Beck, steadily rounding back to form after an elbow injury that ended his season at Georgia last year, is getting better every week. He has thrown for 15 TDs and two interceptions over a seven-game winning streak dating to Nov. 8."
Indiana finished 15-0 and advanced to the College Football Playoff final by defeating Oregon 56-22 as the top seed in the 12-team tournament. Miami, seeded 10th and the last at-large entrant, reached the final after a 31-27 win over Mississippi. The title game is scheduled for Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida, the Hurricanes' home stadium. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is a Miami native, and Miami's resurgence has been driven by coach Mario Cristobal and transfer quarterback Carson Beck, who has thrown 15 TDs and two interceptions during a seven-game winning streak.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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