MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — In a defining moment that captured the essence of their improbable two-year rise, the Indiana Hoosiers cemented the greatest turnaround in college football history Monday night, defeating the Miami Hurricanes 27-21 to claim the program’s first-ever national championship.

The victory, secured before a sea of red-and-white confetti at Hard Rock Stadium, completes a stunning 16-0 season for a program that carried the label of "college football's worst" just 24 months ago.

The game turned on a single, audacious decision by head coach Curt Cignetti. Leading 20-14 with 9:27 remaining, Cignetti initially sent his field-goal unit onto the field on fourth-and-1 from Miami’s 4-yard line. In a sudden reversal, he waved them off.

"Get off the field! We’re going for it!"

Quarterback Fernando Mendoza took the snap and powered through the line for a gritty, cutback touchdown, stretching Indiana’s lead to 10 points. "A big constant we’ve had is to bet on ourselves," Mendoza said. "It was the least I could do for my brothers."

The Hoosiers’ defense sealed the title when Miami native Jamari Sharpe intercepted a pass in the final minute, sending the Indiana sideline into pandemonium.

"I know a lot of people thought it was never possible," said Cignetti, who inherited a moribund program in 2024. "It probably is one of the greatest sports stories of all time. But it’s because of these guys."

The championship caps a storybook run that saw Indiana upset Oregon, Penn State, and Ohio State before bulldozing through the playoff. It marks a seismic shift for a school long defined solely by its basketball pedigree.

"Ever," said famed alum and financier Mark Cuban, comparing the feat to the Miracle on Ice. "To go from the outhouse to the penthouse, to win 16 games in a row... I don’t think anybody could ever imagine in their wildest of wildest dreams."

In a sport ruled by traditional powers, Indiana’s triumph—forged through player development, transfer portal savvy, and unshakable belief—rewrites the rules of what is possible in college football.