IRVING, Texas (Jan. 22, 2026) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame salutes the College Football Playoff (CFP) and its staff, led by CFP Executive Director Rich Clark, for their exceptional efforts in staging the 12th CFP National Championship. The organization also congratulates the Miami Football Host Committee for their hospitality in organizing multiple first-class events during the 2026 title game and rolling out the South Florida red carpet for the event.
 
"The 2025–26 college football season culminated with another thrilling finish that places an exclamation point on what makes this sport so special," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "The College Football Playoff once again delivered another dramatic championship game that crafted a new chapter in our sport's proud history, and we congratulate Rich Clark, his staff, and everyone involved for their leadership and execution. We also extend our congratulations to the Indiana program on capturing its first national championship, a truly historic achievement."
 
A sellout crowd of 67,227 fans at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, watched No. 1 Indiana claim a thrilling 27-21 victory over No. 10 Miami (FL) in the CFP title game. The 2025 Hoosiers' win marked the program's first national title in school history, stretching all the way back to 1887. The Hoosiers became the first team in the modern era to go 16-0 and finish undefeated, a feat last accomplished by Yale, which posted a 16-0 season in 1894. Indiana became the seventh team to claim a CFP title since the format was introduced in 2014, and the third consecutive Big Ten team to take home the trophy.
 
ESPN reported the game generated a Nielsen-measured audience of 30.1 million, making it the most-watched college football game since January 2015, the second-most-watched CFP National Championship, and the No. 2 cable telecast on record. (The inaugural CFP National Championship between Ohio State and Oregon remains the top-rated game, drawing 33.9 million viewers following the 2014–15 season.) The telecast was up 36 percent year over year and ranked as the most-viewed non-NFL sports telecast since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. The CFP's 11-game Playoff bracket also generated growth, averaging 16.3 million viewers, up 4 percent year over year in the second year of the expanded format, while the CFP Semifinal round averaged 16.8 million viewers.

"From the first-round games on college campuses to the integration of the Orange, Rose, Sugar, and Cotton bowls on New Year's Day, followed by the Peach and Fiesta as semifinals, the system continues to provide a marvelous new platform for showcasing our sport," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "Fans, players, coaches were treated to memories that will last a lifetime while the expanded format continues to make a positive impact in local communities around the country. We are extremely grateful to everyone who played a role in staging all 11 games that were part of the playoff this year."
 
Leveraging the national spotlight of the game and partnering with the NFF to celebrate "The Good in the Game," the CFP honored Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers, the 2025 recipient of the NFF William V. Campbell Trophy^®. A video highlighting Stowers' achievements as a scholar-athlete was featured on the stadium video boards between the first and second quarters. The CFP also supported the announcement of the 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame class, which the NFF revealed earlier in the week on ESPN2. During the third quarter, the CFP conducted a special on-field tribute to the class, represented by 2026 electees Ki-Jana Carter (Penn State) and Peter Warrick (Florida State). The CFP also ran a PSA promoting the NFF's "I Played" initiative on the video boards in the stadium during the game.  
 
The class includes Jerry Azumah (New Hampshire), Ki-Jana Carter (Penn State), Bruce Collie (Texas at Arlington), George Cumby (Oklahoma), Aaron Donald (Pittsburgh), Marvin Harrison (Syracuse), Garrison Hearst (Georgia), Chris Hudson (Colorado), Mark Ingram (Alabama), Olin Kreutz (Washington), James Laurinaitis (Ohio State), Jordan Lynch (Northern Illinois), Herman Moore (Virginia), Terence Newman (Kansas State), Bob Novogratz (United States Military Academy), Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Peter Warrick (Florida State), Eric Weddle (Utah), and coaches Jim Margraff (Johns Hopkins [MD]), Gary Patterson (Texas Christian), Chris Petersen (Boise State University, Washington), Ken Sparks (Carson-Newman [TN]).
 
The 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted at the National Football Foundation's 68^th Annual Awards Dinner presented by Las Vegas on Tuesday, December 8 at the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. For more information, go to footballfoundation.org and click here for tickets.