Miami and Indiana Broke Many TV Records in Championship Game: First Alert
ESPN’s presentation of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff delivered a blockbuster postseason across all 11 games, headlined by a thriller between No. 10 Miami and top-seeded Indiana that will go down as the most‑watched college football game since January 2015, the second most‑watched title game of the CFP era and the No. 2 cable telecast on record.
The College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T scored 30.1 million viewers, the most-watched college football game since the inaugural CFP National Championship (33.9 million viewers, Oregon/Ohio State, 2014-15) and the second most-watched National Championship of the CFP era. The telecast, which was up 36 percent year-over-year, also ranked as the most-viewed non-NFL sports telecast since the 2016 World Series Game 7.
The Hurricanes-Hoosiers showdown ranks as the fourth most-watched college football game in the past 30 years and the eighth most-watched ESPN production all-time. The audience peaked at 33.2 million viewers in the first half.
From start to finish, the expanded Playoff captivated viewers nationwide, with more programs than ever before making their debut in college football’s premier postseason. The 11-game bracket also generated double‑digit year-over-year gains in the Quarterfinals, produced a top‑three all‑time Peach Bowl audience in the Playoff Semifinal, delivered a Quarterfinal audience at the Rose Bowl Game that eclipsed 18 of the previous 22 CFP Semifinals, and posted the two most‑watched First Round games in the early history of the round.
Across all 11 games, the College Football Playoff averaged 16.3 million viewers, up 4 percent year-over-year in the second year of the expanded format. In total, 37 billion minutes were consumed, also up 4 percent year-over-year.
Countdown to Selection Sunday
52 days until March 15
First Alert: Saturday, January 24, 2026
- The Miami Baseball clubhouse underwent a total refresh, reimagining the players’ locker room, coaches’ locker room, and entry corridor into a modern, cohesive space that reflects the standard of the program. Every detail, from flooring and lighting to branding and technology, was rebuilt within the existing footprint.
- The Miami Hurricanes have one player on their roster who is returning for their eighth season of college football.
- Italy’s Chiara Pellacani, who competes for the University of Miami, capped a season of success at the international, continental, and collegiate levels by being voted Women’s Diver of the Year at the 2025 European Aquatics Athlete of the Year Awards.
- The 2026 CFP National Champion issue of Sports Illustrated magazine has Mendoza's touchdown on the cover. We won't post it here, but copies can be ordered HERE.
Miami Hurricanes Friday Results
The University of Miami men’s tennis team (3-1) dropped a 4-0 decision to the Princeton Tigers in the first round of ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Hogan Tennis Center.
The University of Miami women’s tennis team (1-1) fell, 4-1, to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the opening round of ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center.
Miami Hurricanes Saturday Schedule
Men's Basketball: Miami at Syrcause at 2:00 p.m. ET
Countdown to 2026 Miami Hurricanes Baseball Season
20 days (Lehigh at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, 7 p.m. ET)
Check us Out On:
We'll Leave You With This ...
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.