With the expansion of the college football playoffs to 12 teams, the chances of a rematch between the Miami Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers are slim.
Both programs have tried to reload for the upcoming season and that includes the quarterback position where the Hurricanes have brought in Darian Mensah to replace Carson Beck. It's that move that CBS Sports college football analyst Brad Crawford believes will give Miami a better shot at returning to the championship game for the second straight season.
.@BCrawford247 believes Darian Mensah has the best opportunity with Miami this year to win the National Championship 👀 pic.twitter.com/wGYRMAbHFA
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) May 5, 2026
"I think Dariam Mensah has the best shot of possibly getting to the championship game and winning a National title at Miami," Crawford said. "Not only did they sign [offensive] tackle Jackson Cantwell, 2026 5-star, top player in the country, to protect him, and they also got his top wide receiver from Duke, Cooper Barkate, to join him in Coral Gables.
Miami is going all-in on a championship season with the addition of QB Darian Mensah
The Hurricanes have loaded up the roster around Mensah. They arguably have the best, most experienced group of skilled talent in the country. Barkate and Freshman All-American Malachi Toney both had over 1,000 yards receiving last season and the running back room is completely intact with the return of Mark Fletcher Jr.
"Indiana does not have the weaponry that Darian Mensah does at Miami. There's no Malachi Toney at Indiana," Crawford adds.
There is a certain level of pressure Mensah will have to deal with this season. Whereas he could fly under the radar a bit at Tulane and Duke, there's no question about what he is expected to do at Miami. Simply being statistically great won't matter without the wins to support it. Everything is in place for the Hurricanes to have a special season.
Luckily for Miami, all the talk coming out of spring is that Mensah has been every bit as good as advertised, on and off the field. The confidence in what he can do in Coral Gables has extended to the college football media and the betting sites, where FanDuel has him at +1300 to win the Heisman Trophy.
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