ESPN kicks off championship weekend celebrations as Indiana and Miami prepare for a title clash
If college sports had a Super Bowl, the College National Football Championship game would be it. Begun in 2014, the event determines the national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). In 2026, it will be held on the third Monday of January in Miami, Florida, coinciding with the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The participating teams are selected through the College Football Playoff, a bracketed tournament consisting of the top five ranked conference champions and seven at-large teams chosen by a committee. This year’s championship matchup features the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes, who enter the game ranked 10th with a 13–2 record.
The 2026 championship has generated buzz for several reasons, including the location and Indiana’s historic run. The game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, marking the return of the championship to South Florida, which previously hosted the event in 2021. While the location offers a home-field advantage for the Hurricanes, the site was selected years before Miami secured its spot in the title game.
Miami brings a storied legacy to the field, having won five national championships since 1983. Indiana’s presence, however, represents a remarkable breakthrough. Not only have the Hoosiers never won a National Football Championship, but this marks the first time they have reached the final game. It is also just the second undefeated regular season in the program’s history, the last occurring in 1945.
With the stakes impossibly high for both programs, South Florida has embraced the championship atmosphere. ESPN helped launch the weekend’s festivities by hosting a celebration at the Ice Palace Film Studios on Saturday, January 17, 2026, sponsored by Allstate Insurance.
Featuring a live performance by Flo Rida, the event drew ESPN talent, athletes, influencers, and reality television personalities. Attendees included ESPN analysts Reece Davis, Marty Smith, Max Browne, and EJ Manuel, along with musician Kat Luna, and Love Island alumni Tre Forte and Josh Goldstein.
Championship celebrations are expected to continue well into Tuesday morning, particularly if the Hurricanes emerge victorious. Regardless of the outcome, ESPN’s Ice Palace event served as a defining moment of the weekend, capturing the energy, spectacle, and cultural impact surrounding college football’s biggest night.
