Indiana-Miami delivers eye-popping college football viewership numbers

The thrilling performance of Indiana and Miami in the College Football Playoff championship game delivered eye-opening viewership numbers for the sport. Indiana outlasted Miami to win the sport’s national championship by a 27-21 score, and the Hoosiers finished the season with a remarkable 16-0 record.

Just a monster number for the College Football Playoff title game. https://t.co/V5peeKfbxa

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 22, 2026

The Hurricanes pushed Indiana and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza until the end. Indiana didn’t clinch the victory until Miami QB Carson Beck’s pass was intercepted at the 6-yard line by Jamari Sharpe with 51 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

The game drew 30.1 million viewers on the ESPN broadcast, with a peak viewership of 33.2 million. It was the most viewed non-NFL sports broadcast since the 2016 World Series Game 7 between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) that saw the Cubs win their first championship in 108 yards.

It was the second-most viewed CFP title game behind Ohio State and Oregon in 2014-15. That game averaged 34.1 million viewers.

The most watched national championship game was the meeting between Texas and USC in 2006 that saw 35.6 million watch a thrilling Texas victory.

Indiana, Miami pick up the intensity in second half

The Hoosiers and Hurricanes played a relatively calm first half that saw Indiana take a 10-0 lead into the locker room after the second quarter. However, the intensity ratcheted up in the second half with both team registering huge blows and memorable touchdowns.

Perhaps the most exciting play of the game came when Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza scored on a 12 yard TD run with slightly more than 9 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. That play gave Indiana a 24-14 lead and put intense pressure on the Hurricanes.

While Miami would respond with a TD pass from Beck to Malachi Toney, the Hoosiers added a field goal and that was just enough of an advantage to gain their improbable national title.

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