College Football Live - CFB Live- Title Game X's and O's, Indiana Offense vs Miami Defense

Episode Date: January 15, 2026

Join our crew Sam Acho, EJ Manuel, and Zubin Mehenti as they begin to break down the X's and O's of the National Championship Title Game. Can Miami's defense slow down Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza? Can the Indiana O Line neutralize elite edge rushers Bain and Mesidor? Sam and EJ team up to dive into the matchup. Hear from reporters Molly McGrath and Harry Lyles Jr. who have boots on the ground in Miami and Indiana ahead of the big game, as well as from Andrea Adelson. Joe Fortenbaugh joins us in studio to talk his picks for Monday night. All this and more on today's episode of CFB Live! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to College Football Live, presented by Great Clips. This is a tremendous institution that time has come to make some noise. I know why you came here. We got gold, man. We're on the clock already. This is one of those games, man. You got to want this for me. Seize this opportunity. And that sets the stage four days away from one of the most unlikely, if not the most unlikely,

championship game of the BCS CFP era, and we are locked and loaded with both teams today, tomorrow through the weekend and into Monday. Harry Liles Jr. is with the Indiana Hoosiers, and our Molly McGrath is with the Miami Hurricanes. As we welcome you inside college football live, stories pretty easy for one of these teams, biggest game in 25 years for the other ho-hum, the biggest game they've ever played. Welcome inside. I'm here with the fellas. E.J. Manuel, Sam Acho. I'm Zubin Mahenty. Without any further ado, let's get right to it inside the program for both teams, beginning with Molly and the canes.

Well, Zubin, Miami's practice today was intense and energetic. The team went full speed with pads on and players were flying around, diving for balls and tackling. Quarterback Carson Beck told me this team is not phased by their underdog status in this matchup, saying there have been so many times this season where we've been doubted, but we are locked in and focused on no one but the people in this building. Their defensive end, Akeem Mesedor told me that Indiana may be the number one team in country, but he believes the best offense in the nation is the one he practices against every

single day. He also pointed out the fact that Indiana has not faced a defensive front with two elite edge rushers in Mesidor paired with Rubin Bain, two game changers in this matchup. Now with more from Indiana, let's go to Harry. Thanks, Molly. One of the big storylines of this game is Indiana quarterback Fernandezza playing in his hometown of Miami. He said this week that he grew up going to games at Hard Rock Stadium and dreamed of playing for the hurricanes. And while it's a full circle moment for him, he doesn't want to get too emotional over it.

When I spoke with his teammates, they told me all of the extra attention hasn't taken his focus. His only real issue has been securing enough tickets for this football game. Senator Pat Coogan told me he's got tunnel vision and has stayed focus on what this team needs. Linebacker Aiden Fisher told me he's as steady as they come and will continue his normal preparation as the team heads to Miami on Friday,

has one last full practice on Saturday, and they walk through on Sunday before Monday night's game. Zubin? Harry, thanks. You know you're living right when your biggest problem before the biggest game of your life is tickets. Miami's defense has carried him here. Indiana's offense has carried him here. The question is, which will be the superior unit on Monday night?

The biggest game, some of these guys will ever play. With more on that, we welcome the fellas back in. All right, guys, bottom line is this. E.J., let's start with you here. line play important on both sides, but take me inside who might have the superior line play defensively and offensively and will be labeled the superior team of 2025. Well, look, it depends which defensive lines shows up in this matchup. And I'll start with Miami's.

They have been fantastic throughout the college ball playoff. And the three games that they've played 13 sacks overall, 47 total on the season. Now, here's how they get into some of these sacks. seven men line across the line of scrimmage right here. You get inside leverage by the safeties and corners. I'm thinking it's all-out pressure. Now, Keen Mezzador is going to be on the right of your screen. He's going to either come in on a blitz or he's going to drop.

He decides to drop once the ball snap, what does this do? It puts the running back here in a position where he has to block between Ruben Bain or the outside pressure. Bane's free. Then you have the outside leverage there by the opposite defensive tackle to create a positive play there for Miami's defensive line. But Indiana has seen it before, Mitch. Fernetta Mendoza sees seven men up and Oregon's going to run his play to perfection. The right-inside linebacker is going to touch the center to occupy him. But Mendoza sees the defensive back, Jaden Kennedy, is going to come out of blitz.

So just watch his play to perfection. Boom, running back takes it. Block to perfection, but the defense did better, right? Players available. But Mendoza knows where his escape route is and he escapes to the left. And all of a sudden, does he win? Does he not? Mendoza may not be the best athlete, but he's going to beat 6-3-3-20 every day.

That was a third long, gets a 22-yard gain. And so, yes, the defensive line for Miami is outstanding, but I believe that the pre-stap awareness for Mendoza may be that much better. Yeah, well, look, Sam, the pre-snop awareness is really sharp from Fernando Mendoza. It's a big reason why he won the Heisman trophy. But here's the key and really the best thing that Miami does. Very few times do you see Miami's defensive line get out of gaps. What I mean by that is there's an A, B, C, and a D gap.

And most of the time, they have somebody accounting for all those spaces. And as you saw against Oregon's defense, they got out of the gap. And so that's an area where Fernando Mendoza was able to take off and make some play. So I would assume, excuse me, that Miami's defensive line, along with the linebackers, are going to be preparing maybe with some spy, but certainly staying Gap sound to make sure that Fernando Mendoza can't find his way out of the pocket. But here's the punch to the counter punch. I love you talking about A gap, B gap, C gap, right?

I did it. I rushed quarterbacks in national championships. But what Indiana does, I think that's a great counter to some of the past rush of Akeem, Messador, and Rubin Bain is they can also run the foot. And so even if that pass rush is ineffective, or they think it's going to be effective, they can hand the ball off and run it. So that's what makes them so dangerous. It's Mendoza pre-snap, but also getting them in the right play that might just be a running play, not a pass play. E.J., take me inside the mind of a player.

Indiana essentially was challenged a couple times in the regular season in the Big Ten title game, but the playoffs has been smooth sailing. Miami has been battle tested all through the playoff seemingly. How do you think that juxtaposition might manifest itself on championship night? Well, look, I mean, that's the storyline coming into the game, Zubin. But look, Indiana throughout the season, they've been tested too. I'll go back to that game against Penn State where they were up against the ropes and they found a way to make some plays at the end. Obviously, the toe touch, touchdown by Omar Cooper Jr.

In the back line of the end zone, great throw by Fernando Mendoza after an interception. So for those who assume that Indiana hasn't been through, you know, some frustrations or just some disappointments throughout the year, even though they're unblemished as far as losses, they have been kind of molded with some hard matchups. And so I do think that's something that certainly helps Miami because they've been in some tougher games lately, but ultimately this is a hard-nosed, mentally tough Indiana football team as well. It's a good point.

They almost lost their first playoff game and they almost lost their last playoff game, but essentially the Keynes won them when it mattered the most. On the way here on College Football Live, when Georgia decided to flip the page from Carson Beck, little did anyone realize he would flip the script and possibly author a legacy ending finish. that no one saw coming.

We'll break it down. And maybe we saw this coming after losing to Indiana. Dante Moore's back at Oregon, what it means for the Ducks and next year's draft class. That's next. College Football Live is presented by Great Clips. Get game ready for the college football playoff with a haircut from Great Clips. Sometimes home sweet home means sweet. sweet with the smell of oranges. For 70 years, the Orange Bowl was the home of Miami football.

But for a half century, the canes were the stadium's minor league affiliate, behind Dolphins' championships and hosting five Super Bowls. Then came January 2nd, 1984, when Howard Schnellenberger fulfilled his prophecy of making Miami a national champion. Four years later, Jimmy Johnson was carried off the Orange Bowl field. The party has begun in Miami. And on New Year's Night, 1992, in Little Havana, the Keynes beat Nebraska again. With Mario Cristobo had tackled. Claude Jones and Mario Cristobol are doing a great job.

Three of Miami's five national titles were won in their home stadium. The old one with the spray-painted grass. all that orange railing and the signature signage outside the West End Zone. The home field might be different, but the goal is not. And the one man that was not mentioned there in Ryan's great trip down memory lane was the man who led Miami to their last championship, the late, great Larry Coker. That was 25 years ago. For more on Mario the Man, it's a pleasure to be welcome in by our Andrea Adelson,

who's got an extensive profile on Mario coming Monday on ESC. SPN.com. Andrea, they always say we all are a sort of incubation of where we were raised and where we grew up. That said, how would you describe Miami's influence on Mario and Mario's influence on Miami? Well, Zeevon great to be with you. Mario is Miami. He embodies so much of what it means to be from Miami. I'm from Miami, and there is a tireless work ethic that comes from being from a place where there's a melting pot of people. who have come from so many different places to try to live out their dream. And in his case, his parents were immigrants from Cuba, and they came to the United States to be able to give their sons a better life.

They worked their butts off. They worked tirelessly. They had owned their own business. His dad did. And they were demanding of their sons, and they refused to accept any excuses. And so when you look at the way Mario has built this program, a lot of those same principles that his parents instilled in him, that work ethic, that intensity, the way he's demanding, the way that he doesn't accept excuses, that's all a part of how he's been able to build Miami

and get it back to a point now where they can try and win a championship on Monday night. Let's go back to the beginning. He started with a five-win tenure, but even before he took the field in that first year, how would you describe what he inherited and the general Miami communities feeling about the Hurricanes football program? Miami had been walking through the proverbial college football wilderness since around 2004, the last time they were really relevant on the national stage. And as Mario kind of worked his way up through the coaching ranks, he told me it hurt him so badly to see the way Miami had fallen, that Miami had become the butt of jokes around the country,

that they weren't really a team that anybody thought could do much of anything. And so when he took the job, he told me he was going to work himself into the country. the grave, that the job was going to consume him until they were able to win championships. They had been mediocre, essentially, from the moment that he had arrived. A couple of 10-win seasons, Mark Rick, got them to 10 wins in 2017, but really just not relevant. And so the fact they went from 5 and 7 in his first year, which was brutal for him and kept him awake at night as he worked to get Miami back to this point to see the development, 5 and 7, then you get to 10 wins.

and last year maybe ended with some disappointment. To go from where they were at the end of that SMU game, now to where they are at this point, I think has been the greatest coaching job, quite frankly, that Mario Cristobal has done, knowing how much it means to him to get this championship for Miami. Might not even be finished yet. I might have one more game to go on Monday,

and we should just mention all the resources that he got, the previous coaches didn't get. So there's an intangible he brought to the table about lifting the program up. Last thing you mentioned, you grew up in Miami. Look, the heat of first. won plenty of titles, the Marlins have won plenty of titles, the Panthers have won a couple titles. It's just the football teams that have been holding everybody back. But you says this is

a football town through and through. And this team, more than anything, has brought the passion back for pigskin. Help us understand that. Well, when I grew up, we only had the hurricanes and the dolphins, and that's what you watched. And that's why Miami's still to this day is a football town. And Mario Cristobal telling stories about getting free tickets to Miami games when he was a little kid taking the buses, sitting up in the upper deck before Miami was even good in saying, I want to be that. I want to be one of those dogs that is out there playing on that field, right? So for that reason, when you talk about Mario, when you talk about me growing up in Miami,

football has meant so much. And I was talking to somebody at UM today who told me the ticket demand for this game is greater than when Taylor Swift came to town last year for her era's tour concert. That's pretty big, Zubin. No doubt. And apparently this is a new era of Miami football. that Mario is ushering in. There you go.

Let's take a look at the guy that really has been the key to Mario making it work. And that, of course, is your quarterback. Carson Beck has been big, and I mean big, on the biggest of stages.

Look at that company with Joe Burrow and Jalen Hertz and know a little something about playing in college football's biggest game. And Beck is going to join him. We are now joined by E.J. And Sam.

Andrea is here too. Andrew, I just want to ask you right off the jump. You and I had a discussion. last week, and you talked about the lowest of the low that Carson Beck was under when he basically couldn't even grip a football after that devastating arm injury. Help us understand how you get from that point to championship night. Zuban, I saw Carson Beck earlier this week at Miami, and I said to him, that touchdown you scored to win the game against Ole Miss last week felt like I could feel the

cathartic release from you that you were letting go of so much frustration, not just from the injury, but from what happened at Georgia year ago. And he said, that's exactly how it felt. It was so emotional for him because you're right. He went from not knowing whether he'd ever be able to play football again

after that elbow injury to slowly working his way back. He could only throw a tennis ball about five yards when he first started doing his rehab. But he worked diligently because he knew he had to play football again. He had something to prove not just to everybody else who doubted him, but to himself.

And I think that's the progression we've seen from Carson Beck from the moment he got to Miami, the growth to be able to get to this point in this moment for Miami. Yeah, Andrew, we've seen a ton of maturity in Carson Beck. But the thing that I want to highlight here is how great of a season he's really had. And I even go to just the wins and losses. They only have two losses. And let's be honest, most people were saying they lost these games because of Carson, the four interceptions against Louisville.

and then the interception at the end of the game, trying to throw to Malacot Tony, gets picked off by Maude Moses of SMU. But how about after that SMU loss? They didn't lose a game since. And by the way, Carson Beck still threw for 3,500 yards, 29 touchdown passes. And like you mentioned, Andrea,

he had a full-on arm injury coming into this thing. So he bet on himself by going into the portal, ending up going to Miami and really turn this thing around. And now you have an opportunity in Carson Beck to really have the last laugh here by winning the championship. Because, again, I think, For a lot of people, they kind of counted him out. And this is somebody who bet on himself and ends up working out for him on the back end.

Yeah, well, I got a chance to chat with Carson Beck last year pretty soon after that arm injury at the Sugar Bowl, at the hotel in New Orleans. And he was with his family and in a sling and all the things. And to see Carson Beck at that moment, not get a chance to finish what he had hoped to start last season at Georgia, now get a chance to finish has been what's been most impressive to me. There was a span last year when Carson Beck was at Georgia, where he threw eight interceptions in three games. It was a down span. Then he came back and he was finishing strong. They got hurt in the SEC championship game. Well, this year, there was another span of six picks in three games.

But now of a sudden Carson Beck came back and it's finished stronger than ever. We've got a chance to stay in touch throughout the season. And the confidence is at a higher level, but it's not just that. It's the resilience that he's shown through last year's struggle, last year's injury and bouncing back this season. It's a perfect coda there, Sam, because all of it. of you have essentially hit the terms redemption and resilience. And frankly, that's probably the way that Dante Moore should be looking at things right now. If Carson Beck could come back and flip the script, why not more? His last appearance, obviously just getting outclassed by

Mendoza in Indiana and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, bypassing millions in a weak quarterback draft to return to Oregon for one more year, which is going to cause some more dominoes to fall there at the quarterback position. But he's clearly in the driver's seat, made the decision, shocked a lot of people yesterday on SportsCenter. You know, with this decision, you know, mainly on my life, it's kind of just been, you know, being as most prepared as I can for any situation I go into. And with my decision, it's been very tough. I prayed a lot about it. Talk to many people, my mentors and people I just look up to.

And with that being said, of course, I would be coming back to Oregon for one more year and being able to play for the Oregon Ducks. And, you know, of course, reach our goal and be national champions. He's already a pro's pro. Do you see how we milk that thing? You let it go. We let it go. just dropped it. 2027 NFL draft quarterback.

This is going to be a far more talent-rich draft than the 26th draft that's coming up here in just about two and a half months. On the way, who's your bet or Hoosier bet for Monday? Everybody's laying money on Indiana. And when I mean everybody, I mean like almost everybody. Wait till you see these numbers with our Joe Fortinbaugh next. You're watching College Football Live, presented by Great Clips. College Football Live is presented by Great Clips.

Get game ready for the college football playoff with a haircut from Great Clips. All over championship coverage, Monday at 7.30 Eastern the game. You can listen to it on ESPN Radio. The return of the ESPNU film room with the. coaches covered all day on Monday. And with that, we welcome in our ESP and sports betting analyst Joe Fortinbaugh. Clearly, Indiana is the sentimental favorite, but apparently if you look at the numbers, they're also the betting favorite, almost any way you slice it. Indiana money, early Indiana money often. Zubin. Open as a seven and a half point favorite,

and since then it's been nothing but Indiana money, butting it up to eight and a half. Tickets, money, you name it. It's been pouring in on the Hoosiers. The one thing, as you take a look Those numbers right there that I would get caution. Miami is playing their fourth playoff game here. Okay? This will be the third time they're the underdog. The two previous underdog spots were Texas A&M and Ohio State. And in both games, Miami Money flooded the market day of game.

So I would say if you're waiting for, if you want a better Indiana price, wait until Monday. Miami Money hits the market. I think the number comes back down a little bit. Okay. That's an interesting little nuance, though. Let's give me one particular thing you're really watching for a number that kind of catches your eye in this game. I want to see what the fellas think about this. It's the Indiana team total. How many points will Indiana score? I'll bet over 27 and a half. As great as that Miami

defense is, look at the Ole Miss game. 397 yards, 27 points allowed. Old Miss only had the ball 18 and a half minutes. Indiana has hit this mark in 11 of the last 14 games. They average 42 points per game. Defense is going to help set them up. Ocho, I'd love to hear what you think. I think Indiana can hang at least 28 here. I agree. Indiana has been on a role. They've been a team. on a mission. You saw they put up over 50 points last week, and then even versus Alabama, they pretty much mop the four with Alabama. So I think Indiana is going to put up a ton of points in this

matchup. Well, look, I like the money line pick by Indiana, but I think a pick that gives you a ton of insurance, guys, is Miami plus eight and a half. I believe that line initially was at plus seven and a half. Now, Vegas is upped it up to eight and a half. You give me a Miami team with that defense at home

in a championship game, plus eight and a half points. I like Miami. I'll go ahead and hammer that one. He might be getting a little bit of value there too, if you like Miami. We had look ahead lines for this game before the semifinals were played, basically the advanced point spread of what could happen. This matchup was Indiana minus five and a half. So after the Oregon blowout, it inflated. If E.J. likes Miami, he is getting himself into a good situation there. And real quick for you, I know it's a quote unquote Miami home game, but I've seen the Indiana

playoff games. They are flooding their fans in. How might that manifest itself, if at all? I lean to the Indiana side, and I'm not taking that two into account. Miami's going to be comfortable playing at home, but the same thing, the Indiana fans are going to have a huge portion of that stadium. It will not be your typical home game. No, we definitely saw that at the Rose Bowl. Ask Alabama. We saw them invade Atlanta for the Chick-fil-A, Peach Bowl. Ask Oregon about that. We're back with more. College Football Live right here, 5 Eastern tomorrow.