From Hurricane dreams to Hoosier history
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Fernando Mendoza is heading home to win it all the Hoosier way. Photo: CFP/Getty Images
If Indiana University football quarterback Fernando Mendoza's childhood dreams had come true, he'd be on the other side of the field Monday night.
The big picture: Mendoza — who grew up less than a mile from the University of Miami campus — wanted to play for the Hurricanes, but he never got the opportunity. Instead, he played at the University of California, Berkeley, and transferred to IU his senior year.
Why it matters: Perfection, and the school's first shot at a national football title, is on the line for IU.
Yes, but: Mendoza isn't getting wrapped up in the hype of his high-stakes homecoming. After beating Oregon, the QB acknowledged the full-circle moment while remaining focused on leading the Hoosiers to another win.
- "It is a very emotional game for myself. However, it's a very emotional game for everybody. It's the national championship, and we've got to make sure we're playing the Indiana brand of football," he said. "We're not just trying to throw knock-out punches because we're emotional. ... [T]his is something I've dreamed of since [I was] a young boy."
Zoom in: Mendoza, the first Cuban-American to win the Heisman Trophy, has deep connections to his opposition.
- He attended and played football at the same high school where his father, Fernando Mendoza Sr., played alongside Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal.
- Mendoza's mother, Elsa Mendoza, played tennis for the University of Miami.
State of play: While officially considered a "neutral-site game" by the NCAA, Hard Rock Stadium doubling as the home of the Hurricanes could stack the deck against IU.
- Miami playing their way to home field advantage has reignited calls for reform of the oft-panned College Football Playoff format, with some saying that truly neutral sites should be the only place late-round and title games are hosted.
- Despite the venue, ticketing platforms are predicting a "pretty even split" among fans in the crowd.
Fun fact: Three of the Hurricanes' five national titles have been won in Miami, but no team has played for a national title at home in the CFP era, which started in the 2014-15 season.
How we got here: En route to their first national championship game appearance, the Hoosiers won their first Big Ten title since 1967; topped the AP top 25 poll for the first time; beat Ohio State for the first time since 1988; and won the program's first Rose Bowl.
- They punched their title game ticket by routing Oregon 56-22 last Friday in the Peach Bowl.
- Miami beat Ole Miss 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl.
How to watch: 7:30pm Monday on ESPN. Pregame coverage starts with "College Gameday" at 5pm.
If you go: As of Thursday afternoon, the only tickets available on Ticketmaster were resale starting at around $2,800. The game is on track to be the most expensive national title matchup ever.