The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship is upon us.
Over 130 FBS teams kicked off the season with national title hopes, but only 2 remain: the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes and the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers.
With that said, let's take a look at the Miami vs. Indiana odds and my College Football Playoff picks for the 2026 CFP National Championship on Monday, Jan. 19.
Miami vs Indiana Odds
| Miami Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -115 | 48.5 -110o / -110u | +280 |
| Indiana Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -105 | 48.5 -110o / -110u | -355 |
Miami vs. Indiana Pick, Prediction
- Pick: Indiana -8.5
My best bet for the 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship is on the Hoosiers to cover the spread.
This National Championship game is going to be a fascinating matchup between two teams with superior trench play along the offensive and defensive lines.
Miami leads the nation with 47 sacks and ranks seventh with 96 tackles for loss.
Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain Jr. have been a nightmare for opposing offensive lines in the second half of the season, but the Hurricanes couldn’t get home against Ole Miss in their last game.
I thought we'd see more dominant defensive line play, but the front just couldn’t get to Trinidad Chambliss consistently enough, and the Rebels shredded Miami through the air while having a real chance to win the game outright.
I'm not sure Miami is going to be able to get pressure on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, and I expect him to have time to go through his progressions and find open receivers.
I trust the playmaking abilities of wide receivers Omar Cooper and Elijah Sarratt. They can win some one-on-one battles here, just like they have for the majority of the season.
No one has been able to effectively run the football against Miami, as the Canes give up just 86 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry.
However, Indiana is a different animal. The Hoosiers' superior offensive line is going to pave the way for them to find success both on the ground and through the air.
Miami has had a fairly buttoned-up secondary this season, but the Hurricanes have struggled with missed tackles and rank just 120th nationally in PFF’s composite tackling grade.
I worry about the Canes giving up explosive chunk plays through the air, where this defense ranked just 89th nationally in surrendering explosive passing plays.
I'm guessing we see two or three opportunities for Indiana to connect on these deep shots.
On the other side of the ball, IU ranks fourth nationally in tackling grade. This team routinely puts itself in a position to make plays and rarely gets caught out of position.
Miami has been somewhat undisciplined at times this season, as the Hurricanes have the fifth-most accepted penalties against them at 105. Indiana, meanwhile, sits top-10 nationally in penalties and has the sixth-fewest penalty yards against this season.
The Hoosiers are already an elite football team, so Miami is going to have to figure out a way to avoid penalties and not beat itself. Penalties can be so costly in a game of this magnitude, and I expect Indiana to be disciplined and limit mistakes here.
There's no question about it: Indiana is the superior football team in this matchup. The coaching job Curt Cignetti has done in two short seasons in Bloomington might be the most remarkable turnaround ever seen at the FBS level.
I think Indiana will win this game going away in the second half. The Hoosiers are 15-0 this season with all but three of those wins coming by multiple scores. I'm laying it with the Hoosiers at -8.5.
Pick: Indiana -8.5
