Today: Indiana's impact, way-too-early Top 25, Mendoza's improbable run, and new portal intel.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

Curt Cignetti and Indiana have created a world of endless potential and hope for the rest of college football

MIAMI GARDENS — Still in his uniform, battle marks covering his arms and legs, Indiana receiver Charlie Becker sat in his locker as reporters crowded around him. In the middle of the scrum, a teammate shoved a lit cigar in his face. Becker took a puff, coughed aggressively, and laughed.

"I guess I needed a Cuban," he joked.

Given the setting (South Florida) and the result (Indiana's 27-21 win over Miami to claim the program's first national championship), the joke landed. Indiana didn't just win a title Monday night. It changed college football.

Inside the locker room, the celebration was about Indiana. A once-hopeless program was now on top of the sport, the culmination of a season's worth of sacrifice and belief. But when the rest of the college football world zooms out, Indiana represents something bigger: proof that the sport's long-standing power structure can be broken.

Two years ago, Indiana was irrelevant. On Monday night, it shattered the college football patriarchy and did something that, for decades, felt impossible. Even Curt Cignetti acknowledged that reality after the game.

"I know a lot of people thought this was never possible," he said.

For more than 20 years, national titles belonged to the same few programs. Ohio State. Georgia. Alabama. Clemson. Winning required elite recruiting classes, hoarding talent, and overwhelming opponents with depth. Cinderella stories existed, but they always ended the same way. TCU's run four years ago ended in a 65-7 loss to Georgia, a reminder of the sport's rigid hierarchy.

NIL and the transfer portal have altered that balance, but Indiana's breakthrough pushes the idea further. Indiana, yes, Indiana, is the national champion. The message to the rest of the sport is unmistakable.

Asked what his team's title meant, Cignetti pointed to preparation, togetherness, and belief. This team didn't have eight first-round draft picks. What it had was cohesion, leadership, and a quarterback who delivered when it mattered most.

Indiana finished 16-0, meeting every challenge without overwhelming talent. The whole, as Cignetti put it, was greater than the sum of its parts.

That reality changes the conversation for programs like Mississippi State, Purdue, Arizona, or Maryland. It doesn't make winning easy, but it makes it possible. Three years ago, this would have been dismissed outright.

Indiana's roster wasn't bought overnight. Yes, the Hoosiers invested, as every contender must, but this was a carefully blended roster of transfers, holdovers, and players who followed Cignetti from James Madison. It was a master class in roster construction and coaching.

Indiana also had real players: Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who carried the Hoosiers all season and will be the No. 1 pick in April; reliable receivers like Omar Cooper, Elijah Sarratt, and Becker; strong offensive line play; and elite defensive talent. This wasn't a fluke.

For years, college football pretended everyone had a seat at the table. In reality, the table was small and reserved for blue bloods. In this era, that's no longer true.

Indiana proved it in South Florida.

For fans of non-traditional powers everywhere, this title offered something rare in college football: real hope. And if your program ever gets over the hump and does the remarkable like Indiana?

Well, light up a Cuban.

Read the full story from Ari Wasserman.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Way-too-early college football top 25 teams for 2026

Julian Sayin, Kirby Smart, Arch Manning, Marcus Freeman

The Transfer Portal closed Friday, but schools (and fans) don't know who's exactly on their teams without looking at a roster. Despite all of that uncertainty and the opening weekend still more than seven months away, On3 isn't deterred. We will provide what the people want: On3's Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 rankings.

On3's experts: Chris Low, Brett McMurphy, Pete Nakos, JD PicKell, Andy Staples, and Ari Wasserman, each submitted their Way-Too-Early Top 25 ballots. Below is a snapshot of the Top 8. Let's dive in.

1. Ohio State (3 first-place votes)

Chris Low: Having the top offensive combo in college football is always a good place to start. Julian Sayin returns at quarterback and Jeremiah Smith at receiver. RB Bo Jackson is also back after rushing for 1,090 yards and earning true freshman All-America honors. The Buckeyes lost a ton on defense, so bringing back DE Kenyatta Jackson and adding Alabama transfer Qua Russaw can help.

2. Georgia (1)

Pete Nakos: Kirby Smart continues to retool Georgia and has the Bulldogs in the CFP picture. QB Gunner Stockton returns after going 12-2 in his first full season as the starter. He'll have new weapons, including Georgia Tech transfer WR Isaiah Canion and Kentucky transfer RB Dante Dowdell, while RBs Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens also return.

3. Texas (1)

Ari Wasserman: If you watched Arch Manning play down the stretch and look at what Texas is returning and adding, it's hard not to fall in love. Manning, incoming transfer WR Cam Coleman, and elite pass rusher Colin Simmons are a high-end foundation, and the hype train is leaving the station again.

4. Notre Dame (1)

Brett McMurphy: This season should be vastly different for Notre Dame after last year's Playoff snub and then opting out of a bowl game. The Irish lose star RB Jeremiyah Love, but return QB CJ Carr and key defensive pieces including LBs Drayk Bowen and Jaylen Sneed, DE Boubacar Traore, CB Christian Gray, and S Adon Shuler. The defense could be one of the nation's best.

5. Indiana

Andy Staples: At this point, we should trust Curt Cignetti to build a roster that can compete at the highest level. The Hoosiers lose plenty, but TCU transfer QB Josh Hoover arrives in Bloomington, and homegrown talents like WR Charlie Becker and edge Daniel Ndukwe are ready to become stars.

6. Oregon

McMurphy: Dante Moore's return keeps Oregon among the Big Ten's top teams. Dan Lanning has stacked double-digit win seasons, but Oregon will replace several standouts from last season, including TE Kenyon Sadiq, RB Noah Whittington, and WRs Malik Benson and Gary Bryant Jr.

7. Texas Tech

JD PicKell: I don't believe 2025 was a flash in the pan for the Red Raiders. I said all year long that Texas Tech was the real deal, regardless of playing in the Big 12. The defensive trenches will be getting retooled. Offensively, QB transfer Brendan Sorsby gives Tech the extra firepower that could have made a difference in their playoff loss to Oregon.

8. Texas A&M

Nakos: QB Marcel Reed is back and should take another step. The Aggies added WR Isaiah Horton, and Mario Craver returns, too. They also went portal-heavy in the front seven with pass rushers Anto Saka from Northwestern and Ryan Henderson from San Diego State.

See the full top 25 ranking.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza: A run for the ages on a team for the ages

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — About 30 miles from where Fernando Mendoza once starred as an overlooked two-star high school recruit, the Indiana quarterback did what he's done all season.

He proved everyone wrong. Again.

At Hard Rock Stadium, Mendoza led No. 1 Indiana to a 27-21 victory over No. 10 Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game, delivering the Hoosiers their first national title. It was fitting that Indiana's perfect season ended in South Florida, against the team Mendoza once cheered for as a kid.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the game was hanging by a thread. Indiana clung to a three-point lead when it faced a fourth-and-5 at Miami's 12-yard line. Earlier in the drive, Mendoza had already converted a fourth-and-5 with a strike to Charlie Becker. This moment, though, carried different weight.

Bruised, bloodied, and absorbing a steady stream of hits from a relentless Miami defense — after a sequence that drew scrutiny even from Kirk Herbstreit and the ESPN crew — Mendoza lined up in the shotgun as Curt Cignetti briefly reconsidered his plan to kick a field goal.

"That particular play didn't feel really good about kicking a field goal there," Cignetti said.

Mendoza took the snap, cut through an opening, and powered forward. He absorbed contact, spun through defenders, and dove across the goal line, stretching the ball just far enough.

Touchdown.

"The line did a great job executing, so did the back, and Fernando trucked the linebacker, broke a few tackles," Cignetti said.

Added wide receiver Elijah Sarratt: "It was a Heisman moment, except he already has a thousand Heisman moments."

Mendoza's storybook rise reached its peak against the program he once idolized. He grew up attending Miami games, wearing orange and green face paint, but the Hurricanes weren't interested. Neither were most major programs. He committed to Yale before Cal took a chance on him. After three seasons there, Mendoza committed to Indiana on Christmas Eve 2024.

Indiana's 16-0 season marked the first perfect campaign in college football since Yale in 1894. A fitting historical twist.

Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner and future No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick, finished the postseason with 555 passing yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions across three playoff games. His defining moment came not with a throw, but with a run that required everything he had left.

"Everybody on the team makes fun of my running style," Mendoza said. "But as long as it gets the job done — it's fourth down, so you've got to put it all on the line."

All season, Mendoza and Indiana did exactly that.

And that run? It wasn't just any run. It was a run for the ages, on a team for the ages.

Read the full story from Brett McMurphy.

🚨Headlines

TRANSFER PORTAL

Transfer Portal Intel: Jordan Seaton visiting Oregon, school emerging for Damon Wilson & more

Damon Wilson, Jordan Seaton, Darian Mensah

The college football transfer portal window is officially closed, but some of the nation's top programs are still battling for talent. Colorado offensive lineman Jordan Seaton has taken a string of visits and is not slowing down. Duke quarterback Darian Mensah has yet to officially enter the portal, but one school has clearly started to separate from the pack.

Here is the latest transfer portal intel from On3 on the top remaining players.

Indiana QB Alberto Mendoza

Fernando's brother entered the portal hours after winning the national championship. Sources tell On3 that Georgia Tech is the clear early team to watch in this recruitment.

Colorado OL Jordan Seaton

The top available player in the transfer portal is expected to arrive on his visit to Oregon on Monday. He's made stops at Mississippi State, Miami, and LSU already, and sources have mentioned the possibility of an Ole Miss or Texas visit following his trip to Eugene. Seaton will run into an enrollment deadline eventually at whichever school he chooses.

Mizzou EDGE Damon Wilson

Following a visit to Texas Tech, the current expectation is that the Missouri transfer will visit Miami on Tuesday. LSU was previously in the mix in this recruitment, but the Tigers are no longer viewed as a contender. Sources tell On3 that the Hurricanes are trending and are the team to beat. A productive visit with Wilson on Tuesday could close out this recruitment quickly.

Ole Miss EDGE Princewill Umanmielen

Sources tell On3 that Umanmielen and Ole Miss remain in communication about what his future could look like with the Rebels. They've yet to enter his name in the portal, and it remains unclear if they will process his transfer request. If he is available in free agency, LSU is among the schools expected to show interest.

Duke QB Darian Mensah

Sources continue to indicate to On3 that Miami is the school to watch in this recruitment. Duke is likely to enter him into the portal on Tuesday or Wednesday. The expectation is that Mensah will visit the Hurricanes shortly after entering the portal.

Get all the intel from Pete Nakos.

TRIVIA

Now here's a guy...

Below, you'll find 3 facts about a random college football player. You'll try to guess who the player is based on the facts. Let's go.

I began my college career as a walk-on, transferred to a juco to keep playing, then returned to my original school.
Nicknamed the mailman, I started games in four different seasons, was the opening-day starter in three of them, and finished my college career with more than 8,000 passing yards and 66 passing touchdowns.
I was the starting QB for back-to-back national championship teams, throwing six touchdown passes across two title games, earning Offensive MVP honors in one of them, and delivering clutch throws that helped seal a perfect 15-0 season.

Answer at the bottom.

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