After being the only one on the College GameDay panel to pick Indiana to win the College Football National Championship, Pat McAfee was hyped for the Hoosiers.
As the confetti fell on Hard Rock Stadium, the former Indianapolis Colts punter delivered a heartfelt speech. He reposted the video of his speech after the game, captioning it, “WHAT A SPECIAL TIME TO BE A HOOSIER.”
“The people who traveled in from Indiana, [and] Illinois, [and] New York, [and] New Jersey, the 806,000-strong Hoosier alumni are celebrating tonight as the [Hoosiers] are on top of the college football world,” McAfee proclaimed. “What a wild time to be alive. What a special time to be a Hoosier, and Curt Cignetti completes maybe the greatest turnaround in the history of sports.”
WHAT A SPECIAL TIME TO BE A HOOSIER#PMSBigCollegeGame https://t.co/Nv6DePVX1G pic.twitter.com/ufxbzV86gV
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 20, 2026
Earlier in the night, McAfee went viral for picking Indiana to win the College Football National Championship while his fellow College GameDay panelists all picked the Miami Hurricanes to win.
3/4 of the College GameDay pickers have Miami winning 👀 pic.twitter.com/r7ng1HrW9o
— College Football Report (@CFBReport) January 20, 2026
Luckily, McAfee was proven right with his prediction, as Indiana won their first College Football National Championship in program history.
Indiana's historic undefeated season ends with a CFP National Championship
On Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, the Indiana Hoosiers beat the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football National Championship. This was the first time Indiana won the National Championship.
It has been a historic season for the Hoosiers. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza became the first player in the program's history to win the Heisman Trophy.
Now, the Hoosiers have completed the perfect season. They went undefeated all year long, and they became even more dangerous in the playoffs. They blew out the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oregon Ducks to advance to the National Championship game.
The National Championship game was a close game. While the Hoosiers were up late, the Hurricanes had a chance to tie and win the game. However, Carson Beck threw a game-sealing interception.
Mendoza has capped off his collegiate career with a national title. He will now look ahead to the NFL Draft, where he is expected to be selected high.
