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  1. CFB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets For CFP National Championship
  2. Miami (FL) vs. Indiana Prediction: Monday, January 19th
  3. Best CFB Prop Bets & Other Picks: Monday, 1/19

The 2025-26 college football season wraps up on Monday, January 19th, with the CFP National Championship game. It all comes down to Miami (FL) vs. Indiana. It’s time to lock in our CFB Best Bets before the matchup kicks off. Let’s jump into the top CFB picks for the National Championship on Monday night.

CFB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets For CFP National Championship

It all comes down to one game for our CFB Best Bets. The College Football National Championship will see Indiana favored by 8.5 points over Miami (FL). The over/under is set at 47.5 total points. Before we dive into our CFB picks, let’s review how both teams got here. 

Indiana just rolled through Oregon in the semifinals with a 56-22 victory. The undefeated Hoosiers also dominated Alabama in the previous round en route to a 38-3 win. As for Miami, it edged out a 31-27 victory over Ole Miss last week to advance. The Hurricanes impressively took care of Ohio State in the quarterfinals, 24-14, after beating Texas A&M in the first round. Let’s now get to our CFB Predictions for this matchup, including a few player props below. 

 

 

 

Miami (FL) vs. Indiana Prediction: Monday, January 19th

At the beginning of this season, Indiana wasn’t on many people’s radars to emerge as a real national championship contender. The Hoosiers weren’t even viewed as the top team in their own conference, as the Big Ten was headlined by Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon in the preseason. Even Michigan and USC had shorter odds to win the league than Indiana back in August. 

Yet, here we are. Indiana has established itself as the best in the entire country by a decent margin. The Hoosiers are 15-0 on the year, with 12 of those victories coming by double digits. They blew out Alabama by 35 points in the quarterfinals, and then led Oregon by 41 points until a last-minute touchdown lessened that margin. 

Indiana is simply on another level completely than the rest of the sport right now. Curt Cignetti has his squad dialed in and prepared to handle any team in its path. The defense is elite, allowing just 11.1 PPG this year (2nd in FBS). Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza is running an efficient offense that cannot be stopped. The Hoosiers have two stud wideouts in Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr., while a strong rushing attack balances things out as well. 

Yes, Miami boasts an elite pass rush unit with multiple future NFL picks on the defensive line. However, Indiana can neutralize that aspect of the Hurricanes’ defense with quick throws that stretch the field. Plus, notably, the ‘Canes will be without cornerback Xavier Lucas for the first half after he was ejected for targeting last game. The secondary is also dealing with a couple of other injuries. The Hoosiers can exploit Miami’s pass defense, which has been prone to allowing explosive plays this year. 

On the other side of the ball, Miami is at its best with a balanced offense of its own. Mark Fletcher Jr. has been a workhorse running back in the playoffs and can grind out yards. Yet, if Indiana gets a lead early, then the Hurricanes will have to rely on their passing attack too much. That forces Carson Beck to throw it around more often than he’s used to, and thus makes Miami a bit too one-dimensional on offense. 

We saw that script happen with both Alabama and Oregon in the past two matchups vs. Indiana. Both were wins of 30+ points for the Hoosiers. Their top-tier defense has a strong pass rush to pressure Beck and limit the air attack. The secondary will also look to force a turnover or two to help build a comfortable lead. That could neutralize how much Fletcher is used and how much of a factor he ends up being. 

As tempting as it is to take Miami and the points in the underdog role, we’re rolling with Indiana. Let’s not get in front of this wagon that is the Hoosiers football team. Notably, favorites have won and covered 6 straight National Championship games. Indiana continues that trend. Let’s also grab the Hoosiers to cover the first-half spread as they take a lead early. 

 

 


 

Best CFB Prop Bets & Other Picks: Monday, 1/19

 

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