Long before he became the face of Indiana football, Fernando Mendoza was just another South Florida kid dreaming in the stands at Hard Rock Stadium. His father was high school teammates with Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal at Christopher Columbus High School,

Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza is a Cuban American returning to his hometown of Miami in what's being called the Cuban Super Bowl

"Off the field, he was just a kid with enormous charisma. He was involved in everything, a book nerd. He loved to study. He put as much emphasis on his studies as he did into practice," said John Lynskey, CCHS former coach.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza would've stayed much closer to home for college if he had had his choice coming out of high school.

Ranked No. 1 in the country, the Hoosiers have an impressive record of 15-0, with only one game left to play. That game will be the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes on Monday at 7:30 p.

Miami was ranked No. 10 in the preseason. They lost two of three in mid-October to seemingly fall out of contention for even a bid to the playoff. The Canes have had to go on the road three times in the playoffs.

The Las Vegas Raiders have started nearly 10 quarterbacks over the past three seasons. Las Vegas has struggled mightily at the most critical position on the fie