Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Indiana-- Wow!
Last night's championship D1 football game was held at Miami's home field-- the Orange Bowl-- but it sure looked like an Indiana home game in there with a sea of red. Indiana fans must have spent a lot of money to get in those seats, but they have been waiting a LONG time.
Indiana won the national championship over Miami 27-21, after beating Ohio State and demolishing Alabama and Oregon over the previous three games. They finished 16-0, the first time that has been done since Yale in 1894 (really).
I grew up and have remained a fan of the Big 10, and Indiana did not seem a likely subject for this particular ending. They have been terrible for decades-- actually, for over 100 years-- and were the team that others tried to schedule for homecoming. Last year they broke through and made the playoff, and this year they began the season ranked #21-- a rare appearance in the AP rankings. Which, as it turned out, was 20 spots too low.
As a midwesterner and Big 10 fan still, I'm thrilled to see this win-- and to have 3 different Big 10 teams win the championship over the last three years.
