Previewing the College Football Playoff National Championship Game

Indiana has a chance to become the first team to go 16-0 in more than a century. Miami has a chance to restore glory to a program that was college football’s best a quarter-century ago.

One of those goals will come to fruition on Monday in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, as the Hoosiers and the Hurricanes meet for the title. Here’s a look at a few things to know about both teams before kickoff at 7:30 from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

How Each Team Got to the College Football Playoff National Championship

Indiana (15-0)

The Hoosiers played just two close games in the regular season: winning by five at Iowa and three at Penn State. They edged Ohio State 13-10 to win the Big Ten championship, their first since 1967.

In the playoffs, Indiana has looked untouchable, routing Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl and Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl.

Miami (13-2)

Miami stumbled against Louisville and SMU, games where the Hurricanes largely beat themselves. Those two defeats cost Miami a chance at the ACC championship, which meant they needed an at-large bid to qualify. They got it, courtesy mostly of their early-season win over Notre Dame. The Hurricanes beat Texas A&M on the road 10-3 in round one, bested Ohio State 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl and beat Mississippi 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl..

When Indiana Has the Ball

Indiana: Attack the Air Early

The Hoosiers have a big edge in the first half, as Miami’s already flawed secondary will be without Xavier Lucas. Lucas picked up a targeting penalty against Ole Miss, which keeps him sidelined until the second half for this game.

Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza will have every incentive to attack early and try to bury the Hurricanes before Lucas has a chance to come back. Indiana already showed how to bury teams early against Oregon, and it wants to do the same thing here.

Miami: Get Into the Backfield

The Hurricanes have to get pressure on Mendoza. Miami leads the nation with 48 sacks, and creating negative plays limits the Hoosiers from running their offense. Miami used that formula to perfection against Texas A&M and Ohio State, which gave the offense time to find its feet and put drives together.

But that did not work against Mississippi, because the Rebels kept an extra man in on Rueben Bain and gave Trinidad Chambliss the time he needed. Indiana has had 10 days to plan and scheme for Miami’s front seven, and the Hurricanes will have to get creative to get to Mendoza.

When Miami Has the Ball

Miami: Control the Clock

The Hurricanes have a two-pronged path to victory: Create negative plays on defense and run the clock on offense. Miami ranks fifth nationally in time of possession, and the Hurricanes relied on ball control to stay ahead of Ole Miss.

Miami probably can’t keep the ball for 41 minutes again like it did in the Fiesta Bowl. But it can win the time possession battle by getting timely runs from Mark Fletcher.

Indiana: Dominate the Trenches

The most impressive thing about Indiana’s Big Ten championship win over Ohio State was the way it won. The Hoosiers limited the Buckeyes to 2.2 yards per carry and 4-for-12 on third down. That’s what Ohio State does to other teams, not what teams do to the Buckeyes. Oregon met a similar fate: the Ducks averaged 5.4 yards per carry for the season and 3.1 yards per carry in two games against Indiana.

The Hoosiers can make good, even great running games look ordinary or worse. If Indiana can keep Miami from going on a long drive, Carson Beck has shown he will make mistakes.

X-Factor

Miami: Limit Mistakes

The Hurricanes were one of the most penalized teams in college football this year. Indiana was one of the most disciplined. If it hopes to win, Miami cannot afford to give Indiana yardage or first downs with unforced errors.

Indiana: Handle the Moment

The Hoosiers have met every challenge and more this season. But none of them have ever played on a stage this big. As dominant as Indiana has been this year, outsiders still wonder if the Hoosiers might crash against the weight of expectations. Indiana can silence that by playing disciplined football and sticking to its strengths.