by Greg Lahr ’26 and Flagg Taylor ’27 on January 22, 2026

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Sports

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UMiami

Not too long ago, the University of Miami Hurricanes looked straight down the barrel of their season when they were 7.5 point underdogs against Ohio State University, who were looking to repeat as National Champions.

Nobody believed in them, and many were questioning how they even made the College Football Playoffs over the University of Notre Dame. Now, they will compete for their first national championship since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, where they fell to Ohio State.

They face an Indiana University team that has steamrolled its way through the playoffs, is an 8.5-point favorite, and has everyone behind them as the Cinderella story of college football. They will need all hands on deck to try to cement themselves in history as the first team to win the national championship at their home stadium.

Miami will have to win this game in the trenches and take care of the football, two things the University of Alabama and the University of Oregon could not do against the national champ favorites. If Miami can do those two things, they just may find themselves in a one-possession game with a few minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

Defensive ends; that is how Miami will be able to control the line of scrimmage and limit Indiana’s lethal ground attack. Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Meisdor, two possible first-round draft picks in the coming NFL draft, can flip the script upside down. Having one of them, let alone two, can drastically affect the outcome of the game. They will need both to get after Fernando Mendoza and bring him to the ground to be successful.

Miami also has Carson Beck. He’s been in this position before and knows how to handle pressure when the lights are bright. With the combination of standout wide receiver Malachi Toney, power running back Mark Fletcher, and veteran college quarterback Beck, the Miami offense can find multiple ways to get the ball in the end zone against a stout Indiana defense.

If Miami can limit the turnovers, keep the ball out of Mendoza’s hand, and limit Indiana’s time of possession, this game will be much closer than people think. Indiana does not want to be in a shootout with Miami’s defense, especially with a close game in the closing minutes. As head coach Mario Cristobal preaches after every game, Miami needs to go 1–0 one more time to find themselves at the top of the college football mountain.
– Greg Lahr ’26 
Sports Staff

IU

On Monday, Jan. 19, the Indiana University Hoosiers will take on the University of Miami Hurricanes for the College Football National Championship title. I believe the Indiana Hoosiers will emphatically win the first championship in school history. Led by head coach Curt Cignetti and Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers will cap off their historic season with the biggest prize possible: the College Football National title. 

Perhaps the biggest story surrounding this Indiana squad is their historic program turnaround, led by Cignetti. When Cignetti was asked about his plans to turn around the program and culture, he responded “It’s pretty simple. I win. Google me.” He took James Madison University to an 8–3 record in his first year coaching. The following ’23–’24 season, the JMU Dukes had a record of 11–1 reaching No. 18 in the AP Poll at one point. That same season, the Indiana Hoosiers finished with a 3–9 record and in last place of the Big 10. Next season, Indiana would hire Cignetti as their new head coach, and in his first season (’24–’25) Cignetti led them to a 11–2 record, their only losses coming to No. 1 ranked Ohio State and No. 10 ranked Notre Dame in the first round of the playoffs. This season, Indiana has a record of 15–0, a Big 10 championship title, and the national championship seems completely inevitable. Cignetti wins.   

This season, Indiana has defeated five top 10 ranked opponents by a combined 135 points, a truly insane stat. In their Rose Bowl and Peach Bowl wins against Alabama and Oregon, the two preceding playoff games to their matchup against Miami, the Hoosiers won by 69 points total. The story of this team has been dominance since day one. I see no reason this squad won’t continue this pattern in their final game of the season. 

Indiana is led by the Heisman winner, Mendoza, the school’s star quarterback. Mendoza has had an amazing season leading his squad on and off the field with fantastic play and work in the community. He’s a very easy guy to root for. This season, Mendoza has completed five games where he had more touchdowns than incompletions recorded in the game. No other quarterback in the 2000s has completed this feat more than twice in one season. Last game against Oregon, Mendoza had five passing touchdowns, a completion percentage of 85 percent and rushed for more than 25 yards.

The Indiana Hoosiers have all the momentum and the nation rooting for this underdog story. Cignetti wins and Mendoza is a fantastic leader and player. I believe the Hoosiers will make history behind a great game from Mendoza and his teammates, and the genius coaching of Cignetti and his staff.
– Flagg Taylor ’27 
Sports Staff

by Meaghan P Cahill on January 16, 2020

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Sports

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A Look Back at a Monumental Ten Years 

By Thomas Zinzarella ’21

Sports Staff

This decade has shown one of the largest growths among every sport at Providence College. There are so many moments to choose from but here are some of the greatest from this past decade:

Men’s Basketball Capture 2014 Big East Championship

Ed Cooley and the Friars playing in Madison Square Garden are something Friars fans have begun to enjoy throughout this decade, and it all began back in 2014. This was the first year of the newly aligned 10-team Big East conference and the Friars only championship was back in 1994. The Friars were an NCAA Tournament bubble team coming into the tournament making it vital for them to win. Some had the Friars succeeding and others had them as the first four teams out. Well, the Friars burst a couple of bubbles and downed the Creighton University Blue Jays to punch their ticket. This Creighton team held one of the greatest college basketball players ever to roam the floor, Doug McDermott. The Friars were led by Bryce Cotton ’14 and LaDontae Henton ’15 with a number of other upperclassmen who started the rise of Friar basketball. This would be their first of five straight NCAA tournament appearances and set the standard of what PC basketball is today.

Friars Knock off No. 3 Villanova

Valentine’s Day 2018: The Friars needed a win to bolster their NCAA tournament resume, having already defeated the No. 5/4 Xavier University Musketeers about a month prior in Providence. The holiday featured a Big East match-up against rival Villanova University. The team PC faced is considered by many college basketball critics to be the best team of the decade, as they would go on to win the NCAA Tournament. It was a fast-paced, nail biter of a game as the Wildcats and Friars remained within single digit points of each other over the course of the two halves. Ultimately, the Friars pulled ahead at the end and beat Villanova 76-71 in a game that Cooley cites as “the greatest win” that he has had with the College. Scenes of students storming the court in a matter of seconds have stuck with many Friar basketball fans ever since. The win was a pivotal moment for the team that year as it gave them the momentum they needed to make a push in the Big East Tournament which secured them a spot in the Championship game.

2014 Men’s Soccer College Cup

Just like the men’s basketball team, 2014 brought great success for the men’s soccer team. The Friars advanced to the NCAA tournament as the 11th overall team. The Friars earned themselves a first round bye and picked up victories over Dartmouth University, the University of California-Irvine and the No. 3 team Michigan State University en route to their first ever College Cup appearance. The Friars faced a tough task with in the No. 2 University of California-Los Angeles Bruins and fell 3-2 in double-overtime. Under the direction of Craig Stewart, the Friars have made six NCAA tournament appearances with a follow-up Sweet 16 appearance in 2016 under future MLS star Julian Gressel ’16.

Women’s Cross Country National  Championship

Any time there is a national championship mentioned, it more than likely will be involved as one of the greatest moments. The 2013 National Championship Women’s Cross Country Team is no exception. The Friars were runners up the year prior and would not be deterred the following year. The Friars were led by Emily Sisson ’14 who finished seventh overall. Sisson is now currently competing for a spot on the U.S. National team for this upcoming Olympics and is well known in women’s running. It was the Friars first championship since 1995. Under head coach Ray Treacy ’82, the team has won two national championships and has transformed into one of the best programs in the country.

Men’s Hockey Team Wins 2015 National Championship 

Friars head coach Nate Leaman has elevated this program to national prominence once again and brought the Friars back into the spotlight by advancing to the 2015 Frozen Four. The Friars were one of the final teams to make the tournament and used this motivation to their advantage. After the Friars got past the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the Friars faced off against the Boston University Terriers in the NCAA National Championship game at the TD Garden in Boston. The Friars were searching for their first National Championship in program history and, after falling behind 3-2 after two periods of play, needed some magic to secure the win. In what is considered one of the craziest finishes to an NCAA Championship hockey game, the Friars were able to come out on top in last ten minutes of the third period after finding themselves in a tied game when BU accidentally scored on their own net. It was Brandon Tanev ’15 who flicked in the game-winner wrist shot with just over six minutes left of play that secured the program’s first ever NCAA championship. Tanev would go on to become one of seven Friars to play in the NHL from the team. 

Women’s Basketball Team Advances it to the 16th Round of the 2018 Women’s Basketball National Invitation Tournament

Women’s basketball had lost its way for a bit after their great success in the 1980s and early 90s at PC. Jim Crowley in his third year at the helm took tremendous strides for the Friars. The Friars made postseason play for the first time since 2010 and just the second time since the Friars advanced to the 1991-92 NCAA tournament. The Friars defeated University of Hartford and University of Pennsylvania to advance to the Sweet 16 of the WNIT and were set to face their fellow Big East foe, the Georgetown University Hoyas. The Friars ultimately fell to them, but this was a special collection of players young and old. Friar fans saw one of the greatest scorers in program history, Jojo Nogic ’19, and featured the Big East Freshman of the Year, Mary Baskerville ’22. Nogic  finished as the 4th all time leading scorer in program history and Baskerville also set the program record for blocks for a freshman and the most by a Friar since the 1999-2000 season. The Friars also won eight games in conference play, the most since the 1996-1997 season. These are just a few of many accomplishments for this women’s basketball program as they look to continue their rise in the rigorous Big East conference.