College GameDay legend to miss Miami-Indiana National Championship game
Monday night marks the biggest game in Indiana Hoosiers history, but one college football legend won’t be there to watch it unfold.
The underdog-turned-undefeated 15-0 program, led by Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, will be out to wrap up the National Championship and write themselves into the history books with a perfect season.
But the Miami Hurricanes will be out to play spoiler, and stand in the way of Indiana immortality on their home field at Hard Rock Stadium.
Five months ago, few would have picked these two teams to navigate what was a highly-controversial College Football Playoff field and make the National Championship.
Even the great Lee Corso might have stopped short of backing the Hoosiers for success had he still been a feature on College GameDay this season.
The beloved broadcaster, who announced his retirement in April 2025 and had an emotional final show in August, has strong ties to Indiana.
He spent eight years as head coach in Bloomington between 1973 and 1982, and delivered IU their first-ever bowl victory in 1979.
When Corso finished coaching, he turned to the world of broadcasting. Before retiring at 89, had been part of ESPN’s GameDay show every year since its inception in 1987.
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The NCAA icon was known for ending the weekly show with his ‘headgear’ selection, and would put on the head of the mascot of the team he picked to win.
Across his GameDay career, Corso wore hundreds of different heads, and made a total of 431 picks since his first in 1996.
In the three decades that followed, he picked the Hoosiers to win just twice.
Given Indiana made the National Championship, and that GameDay will be broadcasting live from Miami Gardens on Monday, some have suggested Corso could make a stunning return to the desk. He resides in Florida, after all.
However, any hopes for a reunion between Corso and the Hoosiers have been dashed.
ESPN reporter Jen Lada spoke to Corso after Indiana beat Oregon in the Peach Bowl, and revealed that he will be watching the Natty from home.
“He is obviously THRILLED about the Hoosiers’ trip to the National Championship Game,” Lada wrote on X.
“Will watch from his Florida home. He loves Fernando Mendoza. Said IU’s come a long way since their first Bowl win — the Holiday Bowl he coached in 1979.”
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While Corso will not be on the GameDay set, his former colleagues will no doubt acknowledge his ties with the Hoosiers program.
The current team, coached by Curt Cignetti, has reached heights that were unimaginable during Corso’s time on the sidelines.
Indiana are 8.5-point favorites heading into the championship game but Mendoza — who is projected to be the No. 1 pick of the 2026 NFL Draft — knows the importance of finishing the job.
“This is what we worked all year for,” he told reporters ahead of Monday’s showdown.
“People last January weren’t talking about the Indiana Hoosiers in the National Championship.
“I owe it to my teammates, my coaches and the entire Hoosier Nation to give it my all.
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“This is such an important game in my life and my teammates’ life, that I’m really going to give it my all.”
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