CFP National Championship preview: Is the “U” back?

They weren’t supposed to be in the College Football Playoff. Now, they’re hosting the national championship.

Ahead of selection day, the Miami Hurricanes were ranked below Notre Dame and were seemingly going to be the first team left out of the CFP. Instead, the Canes squeaked in after because their win over Notre Dame in Week 2 elevated them into the No. 10 seed — leaving the Fighting Irish out of the CFP. Understandably, the Catholics went berserk.

Miami has pounced on the opportunity and refused to look back. Miami’s defense went into College Station and held Texas A&M to just 3 points in the first round. Then, the Canes took on the defending national champion, the Ohio State Buckeyes, in the Cotton Bowl and imposed their will at the line of scrimmage, winning the game 24-14. Just last Thursday, the Canes outscored a potent — but Lane Kiffin-less — Ole Miss offense. 

In Monday night’s CFP title game, Miami will look to target its two primary playmakers: wide receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher Jr. In the Fiesta Bowl, Toney caught five receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown, while Fletcher rushed for 133 yards on 22 carries. Miami’s offense starts and ends with these two, and they aren’t even Indiana’s paramount concern.

The Canes hang their hat on the defensive side of the ball, specifically the edges — launching points from which Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor terrorize quarterbacks. These two can single-handedly derail an entire football game — as they did against Texas A&M and Ohio State. Bain and Mesidor combined for 4.5 sacks against the Aggies, and followed that with another three sacks against the Buckeyes.

​Miami’s defense is daunting, and its entire roster plays like a relentless pack of dogs, but it must face the No. 1 team in the country.

Indiana is no longer a basketball school, and it’s all thanks to one man: Curt Cignetti. Fans in Bloomington wear red shirts that read “Cignetti” instead of “Marlboro” in support of their polarizing head coach, yelling “Light the Cigs” when the Hoosiers win.

When Cignetti was hired at Indiana last season, he quickly made headlines. In his introductory press conference, he said, “It’s pretty simple: I win. Google me.”

​This season, Cignetti’s Hoosiers are 15-0 with three consecutive wins over historic programs. Indiana took down No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship, No. 9 Alabama in a 38-3 drubbing in the coveted Rose Bowl, and most recently, No. 5 Oregon in a 56-22 blowout win in the Peach Bowl.

Indiana’s offense is led by the Heisman Trophy winner and projected No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, California transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza’s personality, leadership, and command have all been compared to those of former Stanford quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck.

Mendoza will have to withstand Bain and Mesidor, but if he has a clean pocket, it could be a long night for the Canes.

Ultimately, I love what Miami has become in the CFP, from running the ball with Fletcher, taking shots downfield to Toney, and playing ruthless defense in the trenches.

However, Cignetti’s words ring true: “We got our way of doing things: We kick [a--] and take names.”

I’ll take that guy and his Heisman quarterback over any cataclysm, even a Miami Hurricane.

I predict that the Hoosiers get it done on Monday. Mendoza will stay upright all game, and Cignetti’s name will be immortalized in college football lore. 

Indiana will devise a scheme to stymie Miami’s pass rush, using tight ends and backs to chip Bain and Mesidor. Look for an increase in quick screen passes and perhaps a no-huddle tempo from Mendoza and the offense to keep Miami on its heels.

I predict that Miami will struggle to run the ball and thus struggle to score, just as Ohio State, Alabama, and Oregon did against the Hoosiers. Indiana has been the best team all year, led by the best coach, best quarterback, and second-best defense. It’s destiny.

Light the Cigs. Congratulations, Indiana. You are officially a football school.

Score prediction: Indiana 31, Miami 13