It looked improbable two months ago. Two years ago — impossible. But against the odds, it is Miami and Indiana with a date in the College Football Playoff final — a first-of-its-kind matchup in the second national title game of the expanded-playoff era.

Indiana's +473 point differential ranks first among schools in the playoff era (hat tip to my CBS Sports colleague Tom Fornelli ). The Hoosiers have bludgeoned opposing teams by an average of 31.5 points per contest. Their last three wins against blue bloods Ohio State and Alabama and new blood Oregon have come by a combined score of 107-35.

No. 1 Indiana football beats Oregon in the Peach Bowl tonight: Results, highlights, Fernando Mendoza performance.

The Hoosiers are looking to enter the discussion alongside some of the best national champions of the College Football Playoff era.