Indiana caps off a perfect season, winning its first-ever college football national championship against Miami. Fernando Mendoza has an unforgettable night, and Google confirms, Cignetti wins. Plus more transfer portal litigation and a way too early look at next year’s College Football Playoff. It’s Tailgators on three…Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoosiers!
The Opening Drive:
First Down: Indiana: The Hoosiers cap off an undefeated 16-0 season, by defeating Miami 27-21 in the CFP National Championship.
Second Down: Miami: The Hurricanes are back.
Third Down: Historical: Can we put Indiana’s season, or last two seasons, into any historical significance?
Fourth Down: We discuss which school could be the next Indiana? And we take a look at ESPN’s way too early Top 25 for next season and their projected 2026 CFP playoff bracket.
ESPN’s Projected CFP Teams:
Indiana
Georgia
Texas Tech
Notre Dame
USC
Texas A&M
Ohio State
Miami
Oregon
Texas
Oklahoma State
Hawai’i
Watch Tailgators Setup on Substack:
Gary’s Cocktail of the Week:
We all know Coach Cignetti enjoys to crack open a beer after a win. This week, he unveiled the beer he drank following Indiana’s win in the national championship game.
Hoosier Gameday Lager
by Upland Brewery in Bloomington.
From Upland’s website: “Hoosier Gameday Lager was created as the first ever Indiana University Athletics branded beer. It’s a collaboration between Upland and thousands of beer-loving IU sports fans. Over the course of several weeks, we sent out surveys via social media to be answered by any of our followers over the age of 21. After over 10,000 completed surveys, clear preferences were determined for the name, label design and key attributes of the beer itself. This recipe is a reflection of the those preferences: a crisp, drinkable, but still flavorful lager with a moderate, sessionable level of alcohol.”
ABV: 4.7%
IBU: 25
YEAST: Bohemian Lager
MALT: Pilsner, Vienna, Munich 10L, Munich 20L, Caramunich 60L
HOPS: Cluster, Saaz
Until Next Year…
