Two teams left and one game remaining. The College Football Playoff national championship game has nearly arrived, and we know the participants. This week’s college football odds reveal that the Cinderella team, Indiana, is a significant neutral-site favorite over Miami.
Let’s review the early College Football Playoff odds, courtesy of the top US-licensed sportsbooks, for Monday night, January 19th, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
NCAAF CFP National Championship Odds At-a-Glance
After reviewing the live college football odds, it is hard to fathom that the two remaining teams were not considered to be title contenders this year. In the preseason, Miami was ranked No. 10 while Indiana was ranked No. 20 in the AP Top 25 polls.
There is plenty of buzz surrounding the Hoosiers, and public sentiment has forced the oddsmakers to install Indiana as more than a touchdown favorite. Anytime a line crosses onto or off one of the most important numbers in football (3, 4, 6, 7), you can be sure there is either plenty of public money triggering the shift or some very sharp action.
Miami Hurricanes vs. Indiana Hoosiers (-7.5)
Monday, January 19, 2026 – 7:30 PM ET
The Hoosiers, under second-year head coach Curt Cignetti, have made remarkable strides under his leadership. Indiana vaulted from a 3-9 team under former coach Tom Allen in 2023 to an 11-2 CFP entry in 2024 that ultimately bowed to Notre Dame in the opening round in Cignetti’s inaugural season in Bloomington.
But this year, Indiana was truly in it to win it and will now attempt to become only the second 16-0 college football team since Yale achieved the feat in 1894, well before World War I, replete with leather helmets.
Indiana’s Regular-Season Statement Wins
The Hoosiers’ schedule was hardly daunting in the first three weeks, with a series of tomato cans scheduled only to inflate Indiana’s record. The first test came in Week 4 when they welcomed Big Ten rival, Illinois, to Bloomington. The Illini were also undefeated at the time and ranked ninth in the nation, but they weren’t for long, as they were eviscerated, 68-10, by the Hoosiers, and Cinderella had just officially arrived at the ball.Â
After edging past Iowa the following week, Indiana would travel to Eugene, Oregon, home of the high-flying No. 3-ranked Ducks. Entering as 6½ point road underdogs, Indiana fired a shot across the bow of every college football program in the country when they came away with a 30-20 win and were promptly seeded third in the nation.
Undefeated Indiana wound up in the Big Ten Championship against the seemingly invincible reigning national champions, Ohio State. However, the Hoosiers beat them at their own defensive game and came away with a 13-10 win and the No. 1 seed in the country entering the CFP.
Miami’s Road to the CFP
As we review the college football odds on this CFP national championship, we must consider that Miami also has a fascinating story to tell. They ended last season with a 10-3 record, culminating in a narrow loss to Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
However, this season, the Hurricanes began with an impressive 27-24 victory over Notre Dame and kept on winning right up until a stunning home loss to Louisville as 10½ point home chalk. The Canes rebounded the following week with a convincing victory over Stanford, but their season took another unexpected turn when they lost a 26-20 overtime decision to SMU as 8½ road favorites.
Nevertheless, Miami was bloodied but unbowed as they won the remaining four games on their regular-season schedule, including a 38-7 thrashing of No. 22 Pittsburgh, which punched Miami’s ticket into the CFP as the 10th-ranked seed.
CFP Paths to the Title Game
After being rewarded with a first-round seed, Indiana dispatched Alabama and Oregon to advance to this title tilt with Miami. Speaking of which, the Hurricanes entered as the 10th seed and defeated Texas A&M, 10-3, followed by a 24-14 stunner over Ohio State, and then a 31-27 win over Ole Miss.
As impressive as Miami has been this year, the public has gone ga-ga over the Hoosiers. The oddsmakers initially installed Indiana as 7½ point favorites, and that number has not moved since being set. However, there is still plenty of time between this January 12th writing and when the game kicks off a week from now.
Stay tuned, and make sure to shop for the sharpest lines regardless of what side you are on.
Bet on College Football Now!
The CFP national championship college football odds posted today on Miami vs. Indiana will not stay stagnant forever. Odds, point spreads, and totals are dynamic, which means the moneylines and point spreads you see here may not be around by gametime.
Therefore, it is important that you get the sharpest line available, and the only way to do that is to get down immediately on the games and make sure you have an active account.
That’s right, make certain your account is funded, and perhaps get accounts at two or more sportsbooks so you can compare the numbers. Make sure to get down at a place you trust and at the best lines or odds available.
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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
