Unlike most years, we have unusual suspects gearing up for the natty this season. After decades of trials and tribulations, Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers are set to face Mario Cristobal’s Miami Hurricanes on January 19 for the most expensive national championship game ever. This matchup also comes with an equally unusual price tag, even running laps on Super Bowl LIX by a wide margin.

On January 9th, college football insider Joe Pompliano hopped onto IG and spilled the tea about a record average purchase price of an astonishing $3,842. The cheapest ticket found, even tucked away in the very top corner of the stadium map, was at $3,250 on Tickpick, and that includes all the extra fees!

To put that into perspective, the entry-level ticket for the 2025 Super Bowl was only around $2,600. The actual difference is $1200. The ticket on tickpick stands around $4328-ish (mind you, it fluctuates). However, if you go band-for-band with the 2026 Super Bowl’s ticket, then the NFL is having the edge here.

A major reason for this insanity is the “home” field advantage for Miami. The game is being played at Hard Rock Stadium. The home of Hurricanes. This is the first time a team in the modern era will play a national championship game in their own stadium.

Obviously, this creates local hype and makes logistics a breeze for Miami fans. The Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal has called for the city to go ‘absolutely bananas’, especially since this is the first time Miami is making the natty in 23 years, and they have not won one since 2001.

Then you have the Indiana Hoosiers, making their first-ever appearance in the natty. No explanation needed after their 56–22 beatdown of Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks. The Hoosiers are on a generational run. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for their alumni network. The word is that IU boasts one of the largest alumni bases around, with nearly 800k members, and they are not afraid to travel.

If you watched the CFP semifinals, you would know they not only schooled the Oregon Ducks, they also out-fanned them. Dante Moore had to go to a silent count (per Fernando Mendoza). According to reports and fans inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, nearly 90% of the crowd was filled with Hoosiers.

All in all, it comes down to simple economics. Miami has the home advantage, and Indiana has traveling fans. That mix has driven demand through the roof, sending ticket prices to record levels and even making Super Bowl 58 seem affordable.

Indiana Hoosiers vs Miami Hurricanes: Bookies

Right now, most places have the Indiana Hoosiers as the strong favorite. They’re a 7.5-point favorite, meaning oddsmakers expect them to win by more than a touchdown. If you want to bet, the Hoosiers’ moneyline (just picking who wins outright) is around -330, while Miami is a +265 underdog. The total score for the game is set at about 48.5 points.

For Miami, the story is a bit different but just as exciting. They’ve had a “storybook” season as a No. 10 seed, winning several close, nail-biting games to get here. After watching three weeks of playoff football, it’s not absurd to say they have the best offensive and defensive lines in the country.

Plus, Mario Cristobal has shown no team is a threat for them after beating Ohio State in the quarterfinals. If they can get in Mendoza’s face, Miami has a real shot at the upset. On the flip side, Indiana only needs to stop Mark Fletcher and the true-freshman WR Malachi Toney and more importantly, keep the defensive line away from Mendoza.

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