Five Takeaways From the College Football National Championship Game |
Hoo, hoo, hoo, Hoosiers!
Seeing the Indiana University Hoosiers win the College Football Playoff National Championship Monday night was the culmination of a season filled with notable lessons. Here are a few from my perspective:
1. In sports – as in many other matters – the experts are often wrong. The same people who tried to justify the exclusion of Notre Dame from the college football playoffs dissed Indiana all season long, including leading up to and throughout the playoffs and even just before the national championship game. They were wrong about the talent, toughness, and tenacity of the Indiana team generally. They were wrong about the team's 2024 season being a "fluke." They were wrong about the "weak" teams Indiana beat in 2025 during its regular season and the players' readiness to face "tough" teams like Alabama in the Rose Bowl (Indiana 38 – Alabama 3) and Oregon in the Peach Bowl (Indiana 56 – Oregon 22). They were wrong about Hoosier coach Curt Cignetti's ability to take the "losingest" team in college football history to the playoffs and the national championship.
They were wrong about the "dominance" of the SEC. They were wrong about the Big Ten, which has now had three separate teams win three consecutive national championships: Michigan in 2024, Ohio State in 2025, and now Indiana in 2026.
They were wrong about everything that mattered, and it's glorious seeing them eat crow. The only thing that........