This past week marked the end of the FCS season and featured the two semifinal games at the FBS level. With only one college football game left this season, Miami and Indiana both have a shot at glory, while the other 134 FBS teams sit at home hoping next year will be theirs.
The FCS National Championship
I’m going to start this week’s blog with a highlight of something that flew under the radar last Monday night. For the first time, the FCS National Championship was held in Nashville rather than its previous home of Frisco, Texas. This year’s title game featured an unlikely matchup between Montana State and Illinois State.
The Montana State Bobcats were not the surprise participant, as they entered the game as the No. 2 seed and have been a perennial deep playoff contender in the FCS over the past few years. Illinois State, however, did not share that history.
In fact, the Redbirds finished just 5–3 in conference play and were one of the final teams to sneak into the postseason. Illinois State had to go on the road for every playoff game and pulled off upset after upset, knocking off 16th-ranked Southeastern Louisiana, top-seeded North Dakota State, 8th-ranked UC Davis, and 12th-ranked Villanova. Meanwhile, Montana State earned a first-round bye and then tore through Yale, Stephen F. Austin, and in-state rival Montana. Most experts believed the Bobcats would have little trouble with the Redbirds.
Early on, it looked like those experts were right. Montana State jumped out to a 21–7 halftime lead, and after the teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter, the Bobcats still held a 14-point advantage with just 15 minutes remaining in the national championship game. That’s when everything unraveled.
Illinois State scored twice while Montana State failed to generate a single first down. With three minutes remaining, the game was tied, and Montana State was forced to punt the ball back to the Redbirds.
As Illinois State drove into Montana State territory, it appeared they were setting up for a game-winning field goal. Facing fourth-and-one from the Montana State 21-yard line, the Redbirds elected to kick. Montana State timed the snap perfectly and blocked the attempt, keeping their championship hopes alive and sending the game to overtime.
Illinois State scored on just its second play of overtime but had its extra point blocked yet again. A Montana State touchdown would win the title. It wouldn’t come easily. Penalties and incompletions pushed the Bobcats into a fourth-and-ten from the Illinois State 14-yard line. As the Redbirds brought heavy pressure, Montana State quarterback Justin Lamson trusted his star receiver, Taco Dowler, and lofted a pass to the corner of the end zone. Dowler came down with it.
This time, the extra point was good, and Montana State captured its first national championship since 1984.
The Peach Bowl
Even though the Peach Bowl was played Friday night after the Fiesta Bowl, I’m going to talk about it first.
Oregon and Indiana matched up for the second time this season, this time within the confines of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Oregon looked to avenge its 30–20 regular-season loss and reach its first national championship game since 2014. Meanwhile, Indiana aimed to continue its dream season and reach the national title game for the first time in program history.
The game could not have started worse for Duck fans. On the very first play, Dante Moore dropped back and threw a touchdown — to Indiana defensive back D’Angelo Ponds. Oregon was able to settle in after the disastrous start and drove 75 yards on 14 plays to tie the game at 7–7. Then things got worse.
As the Ducks struggled with turnovers, the Hoosiers rattled off five straight touchdowns while Oregon could muster only three first downs. Once again, Oregon found itself in the third quarter trailing 42–7 — an eerily similar position to last year, when it was down 41–15 in the Rose Bowl.
Indiana added two more touchdowns while Oregon managed some late, largely cosmetic points to make the final score 56–22. Yet again, it was a dominant showing from Curt Cignetti and the Indiana Hoosiers against a high-quality opponent.
Oregon finishes the season 13–2, with both losses coming at the hands of Indiana, yet the year will still be viewed as a disappointment. The Ducks continue to search for that elusive first national championship, and with each passing year, questions grow louder about whether it will ever happen. While Dan Lanning has posted 10-plus wins in every season as Oregon’s head coach, the question remains: has he won the big games? Losses to Oregon State with a Pac-12 title game on the line in his first year, two losses to Washington in his second year, a loss to Ohio State last season as the No. 1 team in the country, and now two losses to Indiana this year all support that concern. Where do they go from here? The answer seems to be continuing to spend Phil Knight’s money and hoping it eventually pays off. Lanning now faces a reload, with both coordinators leaving for Power Five head coaching jobs, and a new quarterback likely needed with Moore projected as a first-round pick in this spring’s draft.
Indiana, meanwhile, advances to its first national championship game in program history. A team that hadn’t won a bowl game since 1991 before this season will now play for the national title. Cignetti appeared as even-keeled — and as quietly furious — as ever throughout Friday’s game, regardless of what was happening on the field. He looks out for blood, and so far, he’s gotten it.
The Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl kicked off the semifinals on Thursday with an all-time showstopper. Definitely one of the better CFP semifinal games in history, it belongs in the same conversation as the 2024 Rose Bowl between Alabama and Michigan and the 2018 Rose Bowl between Oklahoma and Georgia.
Ole Miss and Miami met in Glendale, Arizona for the first time since 1951. Both programs had strong seasons, but let’s be honest—they were just happy to have made it this far. Ole Miss upsetting Georgia and Miami knocking off Ohio State in the quarterfinals weren’t on many people’s bingo cards.
Miami opened as a three-point favorite, and the game stayed tight throughout. The teams traded scores back and forth for the first three quarters, and with 15 minutes left, the scoreboard read Miami 17, Ole Miss 16. The Rebels kicked a field goal midway through the fourth quarter to take a 19–17 lead, and that’s when things really got interesting.
With six minutes remaining, it looked as though Miami could milk the clock and try to score late, leaving Ole Miss little opportunity to respond. Freshman receiver Malachi Toney took a screen pass from Carson Beck 36 yards to the house, giving Miami a 24–19 lead with five minutes still on the clock. Now it appeared Ole Miss would try to do the same—bleed the clock and score late—but instead, the Rebels needed just six plays. Trinidad Chambliss connected with Dea’Quan Wright on a 26-yard touchdown pass, and a successful two-point conversion gave Ole Miss a 27–24 lead with just over three minutes to play.
Once again, Miami found itself with a chance to win the game. Slowly and methodically, 15 plays later, Carson Beck scrambled out of the pocket and dove three yards into the end zone, giving the Hurricanes a 31–27 lead with 18 seconds remaining. Despite a few exciting final plays and a Hail Mary attempt that fell harmlessly to the turf, Miami had secured the win and punched its ticket to its first national title game since the 2001 season.
Ole Miss ends its wild ride of a season at 13–2, with losses to Georgia in the regular season and Miami in the semifinals. The year was filled with magical moments and big wins, but it will most likely be remembered for the Lane Kiffin drama that unfolded in late November. Pete Golding now leads the program, and what the Rebels showed in the postseason was a breath of fresh air for fans. Still, he now faces the task of finding the team’s next quarterback after Trinidad Chambliss’s request for another year of eligibility was denied.
Miami, meanwhile, heads to the national title game despite being left out of its own conference championship in favor of a team with five losses. It’s 2026 in college football—are you really surprised that nothing makes sense already?
National Championship Preview
On January 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET, Miami and Indiana will face off in Miami Gardens, Florida for the National Championship. The early line has Indiana listed as a 7.5-point favorite. There is nothing I’ve seen that tells me Indiana isn’t going to win this game by 30.
Miami does have a strong defensive line that could cause some havoc for the Hoosiers, but Indiana has made Alabama and Oregon look like Division II teams. That alone tells you the level they’re playing at right now.
Miami will have its work cut out and cannot afford to fall behind early. Even if they manage to keep it close early on, there’s no guarantee they can hang with Indiana for a full 60 minutes. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza has looked every bit the part throughout the playoffs, but he’ll be tested by the Hurricanes’ defensive front.
My official prediction is that Indiana keeps it rolling. They do exactly what they’ve done to nearly every team this season and cruise to their first national championship in program history, winning 35–10. Miami’s offense will never find a rhythm, and slowly but surely, Indiana’s offense will wear down a high-quality Miami defense that has carried them down the stretch.
I’d love to hear from readers, too. Think my takes are dumb? Want my opinion on something I missed? Email me at thecollegefootblog@gmail.com.
