Indiana vs. Miami: Creating an Ultimate CFP National Championship Lineup

You get 22 picks. Build the ultimate offense. Build the ultimate defense. Miami and Indiana on the same board. This is fantasy football meets the College Football Playoff National Championship, where every selection sparks debate ahead of Monday night's national title game (7:30 p.m. ET).

The Hoosiers have been nothing short of dominant throughout this year's playoff, outscoring Alabama and Oregon by a combined score of 94-25. Head coach Curt Cignetti has a team that is loaded with talent and depth on both sides of the ball.

Miami features plenty of star power on its roster as well, led by a defense that has held its three CFP opponents – Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss – to an average of 14.7 points per game. The 10th-ranked Hurricanes were a somewhat controversial CFP pick – at least outside their own footprint – but Mario Caristobal's team has certainly proved they belong.

There are a total of 10 first-team All-Conference selections between these two teams and eight All-Americans. But which team has the advantage on each side of the ball?

To answer that question, we combined both team’s projected starters to create an ultimate national championship starting 11 on both offense and defense.

Offense

QB: Fernando Mendoza (Indiana)

The 2025 Heisman Trophy winner enjoyed a standout season at Indiana. After spending two seasons at Cal, Mendoza transferred to the Hoosiers, won the starting job, and took off from there. Mendoza has thrown for 3,349 yards and 41 touchdowns this season while leading the Hoosiers to a perfect 15-0 mark heading into Monday's national title game. In two CFP wins over Alabama and Oregon, Mendoza is completing 86% of his passes with an 8-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Adding a national championship to his résumé would cement Mendoza's 2025 campaign as one of the greatest in college football history.

RB: Mark Fletcher Jr. (Miami)

Deciding between Fletcher and Indiana's running back duo of Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black was a difficult decision. But Fletcher gets the edge because of his elite big-play ability. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound junior is averaging 5.4 yards carry this season. He has been exceptional throughout this year's CFP, rushing for 395 yards and adding two catches and a receiving touchdown through three games. 

WR: Elijah Sarratt (Indiana)

One of the most underappreciated wide receivers in the nation, Sarratt was arguably the top playmaker on one of the top offenses in college football this season. In 12 games, the Hoosiers' senior wideout hauled in 62 catches for 802 yards and 15 touchdowns, which led all FBS players. Sarratt also elevated his play against top-notch competition, putting together his best games of the season against the likes of Illinois, Iowa and Oregon (twice). He is projected to be one of the top wide receiver prospects in this year's NFL Draft.

WR: Malachi Toney (Miami)

Is there a more explosive playmaker in college football than the 5-foot-11 freshman wide receiver out of Liberty City, Florida? Toney took the college football world by storm this season, leading the Hurricanes with 99 catches for 1,089 yards and nine touchdown grabs. His breakaway speed makes him near impossible to cover as comparisons to Tyreke Hill continue to pour in. Indiana will have its hands full on defense with Toney.

Wide Receiver: Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana)

Cooper is a big play waiting to happen, which he has proved time and time again this season. He is responsible for what many consider to be the catch of the year this season, hauling in a memorable toe-tap grab in the back of the end zone to go ahead of Penn State, 27-24, with 36 seconds remaining and save Indiana from its first loss of the season. Cooper leads the Hoosiers with 64 catches for 866 yards, while ranking second behind Sarratt with 13 touchdown receptions.

TE: Riley Nowakowski (Indiana)

After limited production in two seasons at Wisconsin, Nowakowski transferred to Indiana this past offseason and made an immediate impact in the Hoosiers' high-powered passing offense. Despite playing alongside both Sarratt and Cooper, as well as sophomore wideout Charlie Becker, who has been on a tear as of late, Nowakowski managed to haul in 30 catches for 370 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

OL: Carter Smith (Indiana)

This was arguably the hardest choice on this list, having to decide between Smith and Miami offensive tackle Markel Bell. In the end, it's impossible not to side with the 6-foot-5, 313-pound Smith, who was a second-team AP All-American and has the second-highest pass blocking grade among FBS tackles, per Pro Football Focus. Smith is also responsible for protecting the blind-side of Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.

OL: Drew Evans (Indiana)

Evans is a two-year starter who had the highest pass blocking grade of any guard between the two teams playing in the CFP national title game, per Pro Football Focus. The 6-foot-3, 309-pound redshirt junior did not allow a single sack this season. 

OL: Pat Coogan (Indiana)

After spending the first four years of his college career at Notre Dame, Coogan transferred to Indiana this offseason and was an immediate standout on the Hoosiers' offensive line. Coogan and the Hoosiers' offensive line have helped pave the way for 400 combined rushing yards in the team's two CFP wins.

OL: Anez Cooper (Miami)

Cooper is a three-year starter at right guard for the Hurricanes and has helped open holes for one of the top rushing attacks in the country. The 6-6, 345-pound Cooper has the second-highest pass block grade of any guard between these two teams, and has only surrendered one sack this season.

OL: Francis Mauigoa (Miami)

Mauigoa has been a superstar since the moment he stepped on Miami's campus back in 2023. A former five-star recruit out of IMG Academy, Mauigoa earned an immediate starting spot at right tackle and has been a dominant force at that position since. He was named a freshman All-American in 2023, a second-team All-ACC performer in 2024 and a first-team AP All-American this year.

Defense

DL: Rueben Bain Jr. (Miami)

A projected top-10 pick in most NFL mock drafts, Bain is an absolute game-wrecker who can stop the run and rush the passer. According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-3, 275-pound standout is the highest-graded edge rusher of any FBS player with a minimum of 400 pass rush snaps. He leads all players in this year's College Football Playoff with four sacks.

DL: Tyrique Tucker (Indiana)

Tucker, a first-year starter, has been a force on the interior of the Hoosiers' defensive line. The 6-foot, 302-pound tackle has the highest overall run defense grade (82.5) of any interior lineman between these two teams, ranking in the top 30 of FBS players in both categories. He has recorded 37 tackles and six sacks this season.

DL: Ahmad Moten (Miami)

At 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, Moten has been an integral part of Miami’s defensive line rotation since his redshirt freshman season. He recorded a career-best 4.5 sacks this season, his first as a full-time starter, and has the highest pass rush grade of any interior defensive lineman playing in this game, per Pro Football Focus.

DL: Akheem Mesidor (Miami)

The sixth-year defensive end has been among the most productive pass-rushers in the ACC over the past two seasons. After earning All-ACC Honorable Mention recognition last season, Mesidor was a first-team All-ACC selection this year after leading the Hurricanes with 10.5 sacks.

LB: Rolijah Hardy (Indiana)

Hardy has been outstanding for the Hoosiers this season. The sophomore linebacker leads Indiana in both tackles (99) and sacks (eight) this season. He recorded 10 tackles and a sack in the team's memorable win over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, and followed that up with a combined 12 tackles in Indiana's two CFP wins. Hardy has the second-highest run defense grade of any power conference linebacker this season (91.1), trailing only Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez.

LB: Isaiah Jones (Indiana)

Jones, a redshirt junior, has enjoyed a career-year for the Hoosiers in 2025. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound linebacker has recorded a career-high 76 tackles to go along with seven sacks. He is the second-highest graded (72.5) linebacker between these two teams, per Pro Football Focus.

LB: Aiden Fisher (Indiana)

Fisher, a senior linebacker, has put himself in the discussion for the greatest linebackers in Indiana history. He became Indiana’s first-ever first-team All-America linebacker in 2024, and followed that up with an impressive 91-tackle showing this season, good for first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-American honors. 

CB: D'Angelo Ponds (Indiana)

A Miami native who started his career at James Madison with Curt Cignetti, Ponds intercepted Oregon quarterback Dante Moore on the first play of the Peach Bowl and took it back 25 yards for a touchdown. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound lockdown corner earned first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American honors this season. 

CB: Keionte Scott (Miami)

Scott is a lockdown corner who has the fourth-highest coverage grade of any FBS cornerback with a minimum of 300 pass coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Against Ohio State in the quarterfinal round, Scott intercepted Julian Sayin for a 72-yard pick-six, the third-longest defensive TD in CFP history.

S: Jakobe Thomas (Miami)

One of the hardest hitters in college football, Thomas was named Defensive MVP in the Hurricanes' CFP semifinal win over Ole Miss. He is the leader of Miami's secondary, totaling 69 total tackles, six pass deflections, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and five interceptions this season. He was a second-team All-ACC selection.

S: Louis Moore (Indiana)

Moore anchors the Hoosiers’ defensive backfield. A first-team All–Big Ten and second-team All-American selection, he has totaled 83 tackles this season. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior safety also led the Big Ten with six interceptions this year.

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