On January 19, also Martin Luther King Jr. day, Indiana University won the National Championship in football for the first time in the schools history. This was probably one of the most talked about games of the football season outside of the NFL.

People were lined up outside of bars in Bloomington, Indiana. The freezing temperatures did not deter anyone from celebrating and rejoicing to what seemed impossible once. There were some prominent figures present at the game as well. First an foremost, there were IU students and alum who traveled and spent good money to support this team on another other teams home turf. Commentators and spectators said that the stadium was 60% IU fans and 40% Miami, which is unbelievable due to the game being IN Miami. There was also an appearance from Lil Uzi Vert and their partner JT. While rooting for opposing teams, they managed to keep it fun and light, and even made the quarterback's, Fernando Mendoza, dream come true. A video had gone viral of Mendoza asking Lil Uzi to attend if he made it to the National Championship, and lo and behold both goals were met. Mark Cuban, a IU alum, was also present and was greeted by 'boos' from the Miami fanbase. This definitely got a chuckle out of me. Notre Dame Head Coach, Marcus Freeman, was also in attendance but instead of coaching on the sidelines, he took a new role as a commentator. I do not know if it was because he wanted to keep Notre Dame as the top football school in Indiana or what but he predicted a Miami win. And now the big, fat elephant in the room...Donald Trump was also in attendance. That's all the attention I will give that mess.

Aside from celebrities, there were also pro-football and retired football players in attendance. Indianapolis Colts Safety Nick Cross was in attendance, and was even amongst the crowd of Hoosiers. Nothing says loyalty like taking time out of your off season to root for one of the biggest schools from the state you play in. Tom Brady was also there, and no he wasn't there to get more botox, he was there scouting the new Raiders quarterback. Tom Brady has a small percentage of ownership with the Las Vegas Raiders, and they are set to have the first round pick in the draft. Who is set to be a first round pick, you may ask? Well none other than Carson Be- oh sorry no. Not him. Fernando Mendoza.

This road to the Natty was not easy, especially with a football program like IU's. Head coach Curt Cignetti has talked about the conditions in which he received the team. He mentioned that it felt like the whole program had given up hope, and they demonstrated this by neglecting their facilities. So, he had to start this program by gutting everything on the inside and setting a new standard. Only two seasons later he delivered what he was hired to do, bring the first ever National Championship title to Indiana University.

Bloomington did not disappoint even though they were hundreds of miles away from where the game actually took place. Bloomington, obviously, took precautions that may seem ridiculous but extremely necessary for Indiana. Such as removing fish from a pond so that they would not get stolen. Yup, that is right. Not worried about them getting hurt. They were worried that students and aficionados would try and steal the fish. Want to know why? Because it had happened before in Bloomington. But thats a conversation for another day. There was chaos in the streets, some climbing lap posts and street signs and others burning a couch. So, nothing out of the ordinary happened, that's just another Monday in Bloomington.

All in all, Indiana University brought some spark back to Indiana after loosing their rising Colts quarterback, an injured Caitlin Clark, and a devastating fall during and after the NBA Finals last season. As a Hoosier myself, I can wholeheartedly say that it brought a sense of pride to me and my home. Not to mention that Fernando Mendoza has given shoutouts to his Hispanic heritage on one of the biggest stages of American sports.

Did you watch the game? Who did you root for? and why was it not Miami?