Indiana football won the National Championship last season. No one ever thought that would be possible, but they did it and deserve all the credit in the world.
But they do owe a big "thank you" to Georgia as the Bulldogs nearly ruined their dream season before it even started.
“Really, what it came down to was Indiana and Georgia,” Fernando said via si.com. “Kirby (Smart), great recruiter, great coach, great program. They were this close to making a national championship. I was really going back and forth between the two. And honestly, I was really confused. I was lost in the sauce because they were both great situations. It was a win-win. It was a really tough decision."
Indiana owes Georgia for the national title they won
Fernando Mendoza, the star quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to their best season in program history, was almost a Georgia Bulldog.
Mendoza spent his first two seasons of college football at Cal. After two years with Cal he entered the Transfer Portal which ultimately led him to Indiana. But Georgia was his other finalist who Mendoza himself said almost won his recruitment.
In fact, Mendoza has even said he tried to call Kirby Smart once to commit to him. That call however never went through and the rest is history.
So Indiana does deserve to celebrate last season for the big accomplishment that it is. But they are a little fortunate that Mendoza ended up at Indiana in the first place because at one point he wanted to commit to Georgia.
Indiana fans will never admit how lucky they were to get him, and maaybe there wasn't any luck involved. But Georgia will always be tied to their National Championship season as they very nearly stole the best player that's ever played at their program.