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  • College Football Perfection: Local Product Becomes Champion with Indiana – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

    That’s right — the last week of college football was quite eventful. 

    Two weeks after the FCS College Football Championship Game — Emmaus, PA is still feeling ecstatic about the end of the season (and we don’t mean about the Eagles).

    Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

    About two hours north of Philadelphia is the small town of Macungie,  with a population of less than 4,000. And two weeks ago — Macungie and specifically Emmaus High School — had something big to celebrate.

    Indiana University starting Defensive Lineman Mario Landino, who played football at Emmaus High School, is now a College Football National Champion. 

    Indiana may have been known primarily for its basketball program, with legendary Coach Bobby Knight, and for the 1986 film Hoosiers starring Gene Hackman. Not anymore.

    And while 65 NCAA Football Teams have been undefeated since the AP started polling in 1936,  Indiana is only one of two teams to finish 16–0. The other — the 1894 Yale Football Team. Indiana ran through their 2025 D1 College Football season, including a 13–10 win over Ohio State.

    In the 2025 CFP Playoff — the Hoosiers beat the University of Oregon 56–22 in the Peach Bowl and a 27–21 win two weeks ago on Monday night in the CFP Championship over the University of Miami.

    In 2024 , Emmaus High School won its first-ever Eastern Pennsylvania Conference League Title.

    They then reached the PIAA District XI 6A Championship Game, but ultimately lost to Parkland.

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    Michael Thomas Leibrandt

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  • Indiana completes undefeated season and wins first national title, beating Miami in CFP final

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    Fernando Mendoza bulldozed his way into the end zone, and Indiana bullied its way into the history books Monday night, toppling Miami 27-21 to put the finishing touch on a rags-to-riches story, an undefeated season, and the national title.Related video above: Assembly Hall on Indiana University’s campus for the school’s watch partyThe Heisman Trophy winner finished with 186 yards passing, but it was his tackle-breaking, sprawled-out 12-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-4 with 9:18 left that defined this game — and the Hoosiers’ season.Indiana would not be denied.Mendoza’s TD gave turnaround artist Curt Cignetti’s team a 10-point lead — barely enough breathing room to hold off a frenzied charge by the hard-hitting Hurricanes, who bloodied Mendoza’s lip early, then came to life late behind 112 yards and two scores from Mark Fletcher but never took the lead.The College Football Playoff trophy now heads to the most unlikely of places: Bloomington, Indiana — a campus that endured a nation-leading 713 losses over 130-plus years of football before Cignetti arrived two years ago to embark on a revival for the ages.Indiana finished 16-0 — using the extra games afforded by the expanded 12-team playoff to match a perfect-season win total last compiled by Yale in 1894.In a bit of symmetry, this undefeated title comes 50 years after Bob Knight’s basketball team went 32-0 to win it all in that state’s favorite sport.Players like Mendoza — a transfer from Cal who grew up just a few miles away from Miami’s campus, “The U” — certainly don’t come around often.Two fourth-down gambles by Cignetti in the fourth quarter, after Fletcher’s second touchdown carved the Hurricanes’ deficit to three, put Mendoza in position to shine.The first was a 19-yard-completion to Charlie Becker on a back-shoulder fade those guys have been perfecting all season. Four plays later came a decision and play that wins championships.Cignetti sent his kicker out on fourth-and-4 from the 12, but quickly called his second timeout. The team huddled on the field, and the coach drew up a quarterback draw.Mendoza, not known as a run-first guy, slipped one tackle, then took a hit and spun around. He kept his feet, then left them, going horizontal and stretching the ball out — a ready-made poster pic for a title run straight from the movies.

    MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. —

    Fernando Mendoza bulldozed his way into the end zone, and Indiana bullied its way into the history books Monday night, toppling Miami 27-21 to put the finishing touch on a rags-to-riches story, an undefeated season, and the national title.

    Related video above: Assembly Hall on Indiana University’s campus for the school’s watch party

    The Heisman Trophy winner finished with 186 yards passing, but it was his tackle-breaking, sprawled-out 12-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-4 with 9:18 left that defined this game — and the Hoosiers’ season.

    Indiana would not be denied.

    Mendoza’s TD gave turnaround artist Curt Cignetti’s team a 10-point lead — barely enough breathing room to hold off a frenzied charge by the hard-hitting Hurricanes, who bloodied Mendoza’s lip early, then came to life late behind 112 yards and two scores from Mark Fletcher but never took the lead.

    The College Football Playoff trophy now heads to the most unlikely of places: Bloomington, Indiana — a campus that endured a nation-leading 713 losses over 130-plus years of football before Cignetti arrived two years ago to embark on a revival for the ages.

    Indiana finished 16-0 — using the extra games afforded by the expanded 12-team playoff to match a perfect-season win total last compiled by Yale in 1894.

    In a bit of symmetry, this undefeated title comes 50 years after Bob Knight’s basketball team went 32-0 to win it all in that state’s favorite sport.

    Players like Mendoza — a transfer from Cal who grew up just a few miles away from Miami’s campus, “The U” — certainly don’t come around often.

    Two fourth-down gambles by Cignetti in the fourth quarter, after Fletcher’s second touchdown carved the Hurricanes’ deficit to three, put Mendoza in position to shine.

    The first was a 19-yard-completion to Charlie Becker on a back-shoulder fade those guys have been perfecting all season. Four plays later came a decision and play that wins championships.

    Cignetti sent his kicker out on fourth-and-4 from the 12, but quickly called his second timeout. The team huddled on the field, and the coach drew up a quarterback draw.

    Mendoza, not known as a run-first guy, slipped one tackle, then took a hit and spun around. He kept his feet, then left them, going horizontal and stretching the ball out — a ready-made poster pic for a title run straight from the movies.

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  • Md. Gov. Moore follows stellar week picking football playoff games with more predictions – WTOP News

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    Another week, another fabulous slate of playoff games for football fans. And there’s no bigger fan than Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

    Another week, another fabulous slate of playoff games for football fans. And there’s no bigger fan than Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

    The governor had a dream week picking NFL and college playoff games for WTOP last week. He went 7-1 (2-0 for college and 5-1 for NFL). Moore’s only miss was picking the Jags over the Bills.

    But, can he keep his hot streak going? Moore gave WTOP his picks in all five upcoming pro and college playoff games.

    NFL matchups

    For the NFL Divisional games, Moore likes Denver (14-3) at home to beat Buffalo (12-5).

    “I wouldn’t want to play this Broncos team in Denver right now,” he told WTOP. “Bills quarterback Josh Allen has 10 interceptions on the season. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see at least one this weekend.”

    “In the end, I really think it’s the defense for the Broncos that’s going to deliver the win for them,” he said.

    In the San Francisco (14-3) at Seattle (12-5) matchup, Moore said, “This Seahawks team is looking like the most well-rounded in the playoffs. They’ve got it all.”

    Moore said he’s paying attention to the injury status of Seahawks’ quarterback Sam Darnold (oblique). “If he plays, I’m confident, they’ll win,” he said.

    New England (14-3) hosts Houston (12-5) in the other AFC Divisional game.

    “I’m putting my faith in Drake Maye here. He’s been an animal on the field,” Moore said. “This Patriots team has one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL and I think it’s going to overcome this Texans’ defense.”

    The governor saved his boldest pick for the final NFL game of the weekend between the Rams (12-5) and the Bears (11-6).

    Frigid temperatures are expected in Chicago, which might favor the underdog home team. Bears’ second-year quarterback and Gonzaga High School alum Caleb Williams is coming off a game in which he completed an all-time clutch throw on fourth down to help Chicago advance.

    “I think this is going to be a year for these sophomore quarterbacks,” Moore said, adding he thinks the Rams are “running out of steam.”

    “I know this is my big upset of the week, but I’m locking in on the Bears,” he said.

    College football

    For the College Football Playoff National Championship game Monday night, Moore did not hesitate to pick undefeated Indiana (15-0) over Miami (13-2), despite the game being played in Miami Gardens.

    “Miami has been playing great football and they’ve had a hell of a season but I just don’t see Indiana losing this one,” Moore told WTOP. “Indiana isn’t just winning games, they are blowing people out. What they did to Oregon last week was embarrassing. I mean they crushed them.”

    The Hoosiers are led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who is a Miami native.

    “I just think Mendoza does it all here. He gets the win and then rides into the first spot in the draft,” Moore said.

    WTOP will keep checking in with Moore for his picks until a champion is crowned in the Super Bowl.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Thomas Robertson

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  • Mississippi beats Georgia 39-34 in the Sugar Bowl to advance to College Football Playoff semifinals

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    Mississippi beats Georgia 39-34 in the Sugar Bowl to advance to College Football Playoff semifinals

    Updated: 12:14 AM EST Jan 2, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Trinidad Chambliss passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns, and Lucas Carneiro kicked his third field goal of the game with 6 seconds left to put No. 6 Mississippi in front for good in a 39-34 victory over third-ranked Georgia in a College Football Playoff in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night.In an unusual twist, the Ole Miss was awarded a safety on its final kickoff when Georgia’s return team tried a cross-field lateral that hit the pylon.Georgia then recovered an onside kick and ran one more play in which they executed numerous laterals before the play fizzled, sending Ole Miss (13-1, CFP No. 6 seed) on to a semifinal against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.Kicking off on the heels of two lopsided CFP quarterfinals at the Orange and Rose bowls, the Sugar Bowl provided drama until the end.After seeing a 21-12 halftime lead turn into a 34-24 deficit with 9:02 to play, Georgia (12-2, CFP No. 3 seed) then rallied to tie it, first driving for Gunner Stockton’s 18-yard TD pass to Zachariah Branch before Peyton Woodring’s short field goal tied it with 55 seconds left in regulation.Chambliss responded by setting up the winning kick with a 40-yard pass to De’Zhaun Stribling on third down from Mississippi’s own 30-yard line. A few plays later, Carneiro, who’d already broken Sugar Bowl records with field goals of 55 and 56 yards, hit from 47 and sprinted triumphantly toward the Ole Miss sideline as the Rebels (13-1, CFP No. 6 seed) jubilantly swarmed around him.

    Trinidad Chambliss passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns, and Lucas Carneiro kicked his third field goal of the game with 6 seconds left to put No. 6 Mississippi in front for good in a 39-34 victory over third-ranked Georgia in a College Football Playoff in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night.

    In an unusual twist, the Ole Miss was awarded a safety on its final kickoff when Georgia’s return team tried a cross-field lateral that hit the pylon.

    Georgia then recovered an onside kick and ran one more play in which they executed numerous laterals before the play fizzled, sending Ole Miss (13-1, CFP No. 6 seed) on to a semifinal against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.

    Kicking off on the heels of two lopsided CFP quarterfinals at the Orange and Rose bowls, the Sugar Bowl provided drama until the end.

    After seeing a 21-12 halftime lead turn into a 34-24 deficit with 9:02 to play, Georgia (12-2, CFP No. 3 seed) then rallied to tie it, first driving for Gunner Stockton’s 18-yard TD pass to Zachariah Branch before Peyton Woodring’s short field goal tied it with 55 seconds left in regulation.

    Chambliss responded by setting up the winning kick with a 40-yard pass to De’Zhaun Stribling on third down from Mississippi’s own 30-yard line. A few plays later, Carneiro, who’d already broken Sugar Bowl records with field goals of 55 and 56 yards, hit from 47 and sprinted triumphantly toward the Ole Miss sideline as the Rebels (13-1, CFP No. 6 seed) jubilantly swarmed around him.

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  • PREVIEW – Playoffs: A Wealth of Riches in the Backfield — And Headed to the Playoffs as Villanova Takes on Harvard – Philadelphia Sports Nation

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    Credit: Villanova Football-Twitter/X

    Generally speaking, it’s been a great year for collegiate football in the Philly area. Not only have Penn and Villanova had winning seasons , but Temple has a chance to become bowl-eligible with its next game against North Texas.

    And once again — across America’s nearly 136 collegiate programs — talent from the Philly region can be felt from coast to coast.

    At the head of that list are the Villanova Wildcats (9–2), who learned on Sunday afternoon that they would be the #12 seed in the Football Championship Subdivision and would face Harvard in the first round.

    For Villanova ,  it’s another chance to highlight a great rushing attack.

    Credit: Villanova Football-Twitter/X

    Villanova’s football program has had plenty of great talent over the years. Perhaps it’s finest — running back Brian Westbrook — whose career as an all-purpose player led him to a 1,000-yard rushing and receiving year in the same season (the first player in college to do so), the Walter Payton Award, and FCS Player of the Year. His contributions would land him in the Villanova Hall of Fame before playing six seasons with the Eagles.

    Former Villanova running back Kevin Monangai earned All-CAA Honors while a Wildcat and went on to play in the NFL for the Eagles and the Vikings. In the 1960s — running back Billy Joe was the only Villanova athlete ever inducted into the Varsity Club Hall of Fame for two sports — and would go on to play professionally for the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and was a World Champion with the New York Jets.

    Now the Villanova Wildcats have a sophomore running back named David Avit. And they almost lost him.

    After a freshman season with 923 yards rushing and nine touchdowns,  Avit has followed up so far this year by breaking out against Monmouth with 135 yards. He followed up that performance with 102 yards against the University of New Hampshire and 63 yards against Elon.

    But that isn’t all of the talent. In the season finale against Scared Heart on Saturday, that included a mesmerizing performance on the ground from Ja’briel Mace, including 165 yards and two scores on nine carries, including an 80-yard scamper and a receiving touchdown in the 34–10 win.

    A week before, in an overtime win against Stony Brook with David Avit out due to a knee injury ,  Isaiah Ragland ran the ball for nearly 100 yards.

    For Villanova , late-season playoff football is bolstered by an elite running game.

    It gives potential for a deep run as well.

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    Michael Thomas Leibrandt

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  • It happened. Texas finally caught Florida — just not in the category you’d think

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    Despite a surplus of money, resources and time invested in a sport that defines this state, for far too long Texas could never get its stuff together and get around Florida.

    Starting in 1983 with the Miami Hurricanes, the state of Florida has produced 11 national football champions. In that time, the state of Texas has produced one — the 2005 Texas Longhorns.

    (Note that UT reached the national title game again in the 2009 season; TCU played for the national championship in the 2022 season, where it just barely lost to Georgia).

    Here in 2025, Florida, Florida State and Miami have become an overrated, expensive, terrible joke. The state’s major football teams have combined to be the football version of “Florida Man.” It’s only fitting that a gator and a hurricane are involved.

    The consequences of SMU’s upset of then-No. 10 Miami last week in Dallas mean no team from the state of Florida is in the top 12 of the college football playoff rankings. Miami is currently 15th, and the only other team from the Sunshine State ranked in the Top 25 is the University of South Florida, at No. 24.

    This is a continuation of a decade-long trend that has seen Florida yield one playoff team; in the first year of the playoff era, Jimbo Fisher’s FSU team was blown out by Oregon, in 2015.

    Florida has fired its coach (again). Florida State will probably fire its coach (again). And fourth-year coach Mario Cristobal is “feeling it” in Miami (his buyout is too big).

    The state of Texas, meanwhile, could potentially have four teams in the playoffs.

    Texas A&M is in

    Barring a season-ending three-game losing streak, the No. 3 Aggies will make the playoffs for the first time.

    The Aggies visit Austin for their game against Texas on Nov. 28. It will affect seeding, the potential participants in the SEC title game, and plenty of woofing between Texas-exes and the maroons. The Aggies are 9-0, and even if you want to cut up their schedule, a perfect record in a power league at this point in the season is legit.

    The Aggies are going to the playoffs.

    Texas Tech should be in the playoffs

    The Red Raiders’ evisceration of BYU last week in Lubbock should put them in the Big 12 title game. Other than a four-point loss at Arizona State, Texas Tech is doing what good teams should do.

    The Red Raiders are blowing out the good and the bad. Tech wins by an average of nearly 30 points per game. Its defensive front seven is not to be messed with.

    The Red Raiders are sixth in the latest playoff rankings, and with remaining regular-season games against Central Florida and West Virginia, an appearance in the Big 12 title game should not affect whether they are a playoff team. They are.

    Texas is hanging around

    The preseason No. 1 team in the nation is a colossal failure, and the Longhorns are 7-2. Three straight 3-point wins against Kentucky, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt have the Horns in a position to potentially make the playoffs for a third straight year.

    “We are playing as a team now better than we have all season long,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said Wednesday on the SEC coaches conference call.

    UT has its issues, but it also has a defense that makes a playoff appearance a possibility. With the remaining games at No. 5 Georgia and at home against Texas A&M, the Longhorns need to at least split those, and show well, to have a remote chance at a playoff spot.

    Because it’s Texas, you can never eliminate the Longhorns from any discussion. About any topic.

    An outside chance for North Texas

    Despite the protesting from every SEC and ACC coach, a Group of Five team will make the playoffs, and the Mean Green have the second-best odds of any G5 team to do it. They are behind No. 24 South Florida, which hammered UNT on Oct. 10.

    That 63-36 loss did not end UNT’s season.

    Behind quarterback, Drew Mestemaker, UNT has won three straight; with remaining games against UAB, Rice and Temple, the Mean Green has a narrow playoff path. If it reaches the American Athletic Conference title game, which would probably be a rematch against USF, it likely would mean the winner goes to the playoffs.

    A win would only continue what is the best story in college football, at the expense of the second-best football team from the state of Florida.

    Mac Engel

    Fort Worth Star-Telegram

    Mac Engel is an award-winning columnist who has covered sports since the dawn of man; Cowboys, TCU, Stars, Rangers, Mavericks, etc. Olympics. Movies. Concerts. Books. He combines dry wit with 1st-person reporting to complement an annoying personality.
    Support my work with a digital subscription

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    Mac Engel

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