GEOFF BENNETT: This Monday, Miami# and Indiana will fight it out for## the college football national championship.# It's a title game almost no one saw coming,## featuring a punching bag turned unlikely# powerhouse in the undefeated Hoosiers and## a Miami Hurricanes team hoping to reclaim its# former glory in front of its hometown fans.

Meantime, off the field, college football# itself is facing enormous change,## as star players and coaches now# regularly swap teams and schools,## shell out tens of millions of# dollars to athletes directly.

To break down the storylines# heading into Monday's matchup,## we're joined now by Ralph Russo, senior# college sports writer at "The Athletic."

Thanks for being with us.

RALPH RUSSO, Senior Writer, "The Athletic":# You're v.. GEOFF BENNETT: So let's start# with the storyline of the season,## the meteoric rise of Indiana# football.

In just two years,## this team has transformed from an afterthought# to a juggernaut.

How did it happen?

RALPH RUSSO: Yes.

And to put it in.. had lost 715 college football games.

That's more# than any other major college football program## has ever lost.

It was the losingest program# in the history of major college football.## Two years into Coach Curt Cignetti tenure, at the# end of this season, they still have 715 losses.

They are undefeated.

It's been a# remarkable turnaround.

As you said,## they historically have been a punching# bag in the Big Ten for schools like Ohio## State.

And this season, they beat Ohio# State to win the Big Ten championship,## blew out Alabama in the playoff, blew out# Oregon in the playoff, and now stand one game## away from maybe the most unlikely national# title in the history of college football.

GEOFF BENNETT: And on the other side of the field,## we have got the University of Miami, a team# that won five national championships between## 1983 and 2001, but hasn't made it to the# championship in more than two decades?

What should we know about Miami?

RALPH RUSSO: Yes, in many ways, Miami has the# legacy, but has been off the na.. for about 20 years.

And -- but, in some ways,# their recent rise is somewhat similar to Indiana.

As you said, players can be paid# now.

They can move around through## the transfer portal as much as they like.# So that's helped Miami construct a roster,## along with the hiring of a former# Miami a former Miami offensive lineman,## Mario Cristobal, who was there during# the glory days, now is the coach.

And between recruiting and bringing in# some high-level transfers like Carson Beck,## the quarterback from Georgia, the# seventh-year quarterback from Georgia,## again, much like Indiana, they have reconstructed## their roster through the modern means,# paying players, grabbing transfers.

And now they're on the verge of# possibly a sixth national championship,## but their first in more than 25 years,# again, this reemergence of The U. GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk about this period of# transition for college football.

As you mentioned,## players can move from team to team.# Some are paid millions of dollars now.

You recently called it a messy and at times## excruciating evolution.

What do# you see as the pros and cons?

RALPH RUSSO: So I do think the product# in many ways on the field -- and it## should be viewed as a product because# it is worth billions and has fueled a## billion-dollar operation that has been# used to become major college football.

The product on the field is about as good as it's# been, because schools like Indiana and Miami can## change their fortunes.

The talent is spread a# little more thin and widely across the country,## brings a certain level of parity.

And I think# that unpredictability has created in some ways## a more exciting game on the field, while,# off the field, there's a ton of stress.

The college sports leaders have been practically## begging Congress to pass a law to help# them regulate their sport.

Right now,## every time the NCAA or a conference tries# to make a rule, inevitably, a judge shoots## it down as an antitrust violation.

So# it's a tumultuous time off the field.

Exactly where all this is heading is# hard to determine.

And it seems a little## lawless, the environment off the field in# college sports.

But, again, the irony is,## I don't know if college football itself,# the product on the field has ever been## more healthy and exciting.

And certainly the TV# ratings and attendance at games backs that up.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's shift our focus in# the time that remains to the other big## story in college sports.

And# that's yesterday's indictment## charging 26 people with allegedly# fixing college basketball games.

What do we know about the allegations# and what might this mean for the NCAA?

RALPH RUSSO: So, what happened here# was, basically, some folks who were## looking to make a little extra money# targeted players at smaller schools,## not necessarily the North Carolinas and the# Kentuckys and the powerhouses that we often see## playing on national TV, but smaller# programs, often struggling teams,## players that necessarily don't make a# whole lot of money, if any, through NIL.

And they were targeted to manipulate their# performance to fix games, right, throw games,## maybe throw the first half of a game.

And huge# bets were placed on these games.

And I think,## from the NCAA's point of view, they don't# necessarily look at this as an NCAA problem.

They're trying their best to educate their# athletes and they have -- they work with## all these monitoring agencies to discover any# discrepancies or possible nefarious behavior.## But where they turn is to the system that# has created, again, pervasive gambling,## made it super easy to access for a lot of# folks, and also the nature of the bets,## bets where players can benefit from their own# underperformance is the best way it's described.

GEOFF BENNETT: Ralph Russo of "The Athletic,"# thanks again for joining us.

We appreciate it.

RALPH RUSSO: Thank you.