I like that it would be the first for Indiana and yet on the other hand, it would take a little bit of the sting out of our being outscored at home by Miami, but frankly us only getting three offensive points was incredibly pathetic. In OUR house. I still can't understand the falloff we had in the last two games. Head scratcher. I'm a huge proponent that team psychology plays a huge role in sports but to the outsider, it can be very hard to gauge these psychological factors. There are some exceptions such as if years ago our players really were smoking pot in the locker room that says so much about players sensing the freedom to do such a thing. I mean, I'm not so naive to not realize that pot smoking goes on with players, but in the locker room! I don't know if those rumors were true, but if they were, it's very, very damning at the time. I trust in Elko I like his GRIND shirt. His blue-collar attitude. To state the obvious, teams have to be incredibly bonded and hungry to succeed at the highest level. That's not always easy to maintain. Change is ubiquitous. Discipline and hard work best natural talent.

I just haven't followed any of Mendoza's interviews really.

You sure covered a lot of ground with this post

To answer the original question: Indiana for me

Paragraphs and maybe I'll read.

BartInLA said:

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I just haven't followed any of Mendoza's interviews really.

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He's a good kid - just a ball player. No hype, no smack. And he runs their offense pretty well too.

Indiana

The Miami t shirts fans are the worst except for perhaps the actual student body of Uber wealthy Future Nepo-Hires

Have to root for the fighting Cignettis

I hate Miami

Texas A&M

I'm cool with either - better than Oregon or Georgia or bama or tech…the champ game matchup is my least hated outcome

Literally don't care. If Ags aren't in it (surprise they are not ) I don't care

Wife is a Miami grad so the U. At least they're from the SE US FWIW, LOL.

I had thought Mendoza overrated until I saw highlights of the duck hunt. Marvelous arm, on target. Literally said "wow" out loud first pass thrown.

A&M

Miami.
Simply so that every time a Big10 team played an external body, they got bodied.

Otherwise we hear about Big10 supremacy for the next 11 months.

Well, last I checked Mark Cuban is married to an Aggie, so there's a tangential reason to favor Indiana.

From another perspective, I hope IU wins big. I don't want to labor all off season under the delusion that we were sooo close. We need a full tilt reality check about what constitutes a natty winning program. We've always been way too easy to con.

CB, '67

Indiana.

Two reasons:

1,) I don't want to have to watch Michael Irvin acting like a fool on the sidelines for every good play.
2.) I want to console Abella Danger

Indiana! I love a cinderella story, and how can you not like/root for that oddity they have at QB?

Indiana-in spite of the pathetic total ass clown Mark Cuban.

Indiana; QB's mom has MS, as does my mother.

Other than that, don't really care.

WOW…Wall Of Words.

I think it's cute that most of the recent usual suspects didn't make it to the semifinals. It screams a more competitive football landscape and for me that is exciting.

Do I have a preference for who wins? Not unless A&M is taking the field.

Pulling for The U, great memories of a better time, late 80's Miami and 2 Live Crew,

Indiana. Just reminded by a few posts up Mark Cuban and John Mellencamp are huge donors and fans.
Go Miami!

Miami by more than a TD. Means if we had scored on that last drive and had won OT and and and we would be NATIONAL CHAMPS!!!!

Miami
sick of the Big10 bs

Miami. Would make me feel better about our loss!!

leardriver said:

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Well, last I checked Mark Cuban is married to an Aggie, so there's a tangential reason to favor Indiana.

From another perspective, I hope IU wins big. I don't want to labor all off season under the delusion that we were sooo close. We need a full tilt reality check about what constitutes a natty winning program. We've always been way too easy to con.

CB, '67

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What if you loathe Cuban and his TDS like I do?

Honestly, appreciate what both remaining CFP teams have done in such a short period of time. But that doesn't mean I will have as much enthusiasm and anticipation for the game as I have had in previous years. I LOVE college football, and I've been a fan since the early 70s, but neither team inspires me to root for one over the other. I hope it's a good game. Afterwards, I won't care much about who wins. Meh.

Miami despite the fact that I hate them. Aggies look better if the team they lost to in the Playoffs went on to beat everyone else.