President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to be in the building Monday night when Miami plays Indiana for the College Football Playoff national championship at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami is chasing its first national title since the 2001 season and Indiana is trying to finish off a dream run behind quarterback Fernando Mendoza, this season's Heisman Trophy winner.
Trump has not publicly picked a side, but has praised Mendoza in the past. Trump does have a connection to the University of Miami through his granddaughter, Kai Trump, who signed with Miami's women's golf team as part of the program's 2026 class. Rubio is a Miami native who earned his undergraduate degree at Florida and later attended law school at Miami.
Miami faces Indiana in the CFP national championship game
The national championship game is set for Monday, Jan. 19, when the Hurricanes (13-2) face unbeaten Indiana (15-0) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Game coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the actual kickoff is scheduled for 7:50 p.m. ET.
The Hurricanes are playing for a national championship on their home field for the fifth time, though this one is at Hard Rock Stadium rather than the old Orange Bowl that hosted Miami's earlier title-game moments.
Indiana has looked like the No. 1 seed all postseason, rolling past Alabama and then routing Oregon in the semifinal. Miami's been feeding off the pressure and has lived on timely plays, winning at Texas A&M, upsetting Ohio State, and then surviving against Ole Miss 31-27 to get here.
The Hoosiers have been the early betting favorite, with Indiana being listed as an 8.5-point favorite with an over/under of 48.5. Whichever team wins on Monday will join Ohio State as the first two program's to win a title in the 12-team playoff era.