Governors Braun, DeSantis place 'friendly wager' for national championship between Miami and Indiana

Jan 18, 2026 - 02:00
Governors Braun, DeSantis place 'friendly wager' for national championship between Miami and Indiana

Days before No. 1 Indiana and No. 10 Miami face off in South Florida for the national championship, governors Mike Braun and Ron DeSantis are putting their money — or food — where their mouths are.

The two governors — Braun of Indiana and DeSantis of Florida — agreed to a "friendly wager" pitched by Braun Friday.

The loser will send local food items to the winning governor.

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"Hey @GovRonDeSantis, how about a friendly wager on the national championship?" Braun asked.

"If IU loses, I’ll send you some pork from [Fischer Farms], which is in my neck of the woods in Dubois County, plus some pies from the famous [Wicks Pies], including a sugar cream pie (an Indiana favorite). Pork and pie for bragging rights. You in?"

"Mike — I am happy to oblige and am impressed with IU’s turnaround (thanks in part to a Miami kid at QB). But I am all-in for The U," DeSantis responded

"If Indiana wins, I’ll send stone crabs and key lime pie from [Joe's Stone Crab]. I will just drop them off in Naples or Marco Island since that’s basically Indiana south this time of year."

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The Hoosiers are 8.5-point favorites, so Gov. Braun has the advantage as Indiana aims to become just the third team in NCAA history to go 16-0, joining Yale in 1894 and FCS’ North Dakota State seven years ago.

Indiana walloped No. 5 Oregon 56-22 in one semifinal last week, while Miami earned a trip to its own home stadium after taking down No. 6 Ole Miss in a thriller after Carson Beck scored the game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds left.

The game kicks off Monday from Hard Rock Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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