Indiana vs. Miami national championship odds, prediction: Where experts see an edge

The final game of the 2025-26 college football season is set to kick off in the coming days as top-seed Indiana squares off against No. 10 Miami in a national championship game of historic proportions regardless of whoever wins on the field.

Miami is returning to a national title bout for the first time since 2001 and Indiana will play for the championship in football for the first time. Ever.

College football’s all-time losingest program has run through almost everything in its path in what has been two remarkable seasons under head coach Curt Cignetti, and this time around, Indiana has a chance to become the first 16-0 team since Yale in 1894.

Indiana and Miami have met just twice before in history, splitting the series all-time, and last played each other back in 1966, a 14-7 victory for the Hurricanes.

What do the experts make of the Canes-Hoosiers matchup for the title?

Let’s take a look at the early predictions for Indiana vs. Miami for the College Football Playoff national championship, according to the oddsmakers.

Indiana vs. Miami national championship prediction, odds

The betting markets are siding with the Hoosiers over the traditional football powerhouse Hurricanes in this matchup, and by a decent margin.

Indiana has opened as a strong 7.5 point favorite against Miami, according to the first official game lines posted by FanDuel Sportsbook.

FanDuel lists the total at 48.5 points for the matchup.

And they set the moneyline odds for Indiana at -330 and for Miami at +265 to win the game outright.

Indiana: -7.5 (-102)
Miami: +7.5 (-120)

Over 48.5 points: -105
Under 48.5 points: -115

Miami vs. Indiana: What to know

Miami will literally have home-field advantage in the national championship game.

This year’s title game is set for Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida, the home site of the Hurricanes, who will have no problem getting acquainted with the surroundings.

But don’t count out Indiana’s fan base when filling up the stadium, as evidenced by their remarkable Crimson and Cream turnout at the Peach Bowl semifinal game in Atlanta.

Indiana is coming into the national championship game on the back of an historic 15-0 record, becoming just the fifth college football team to reach that stunning record.

They smashed up Big Ten challenger Oregon in a 56-22 result in the Peach Bowl, while Miami had to fight and scrape to the final seconds in a 31-27 win over Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal game.

Miami vs. Indiana: A study in contrasts

Miami has claimed five national championships in football, building one of the sport’s most dominant dynasties in the 80s, winning in 1983, 1987, 1989, then again in 1991, and finally in 2001.

Indiana has never won a national title in football, but two amazing seasons into the Curt Cignetti era, it sits at 26-2 overall in what must be one of the greatest coaching jobs in college football history.

What we think will happen

Both these defenses are something special, and a principal reason why these teams are in the position they’re in to hoist the trophy.

But while the Hurricanes have the manpower to rattle Fernando Mendoza a little in the pocket, Indiana has the blockers and a skill advantage on offense to counter whatever Miami will do at the line.

College Football HQ predicts: Indiana beats Miami and covers the spread.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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