Governors Braun and DeSantis make ‘friendly bet’ on national championship between Miami and Indiana

Days before No. 1 Indiana and No. 10 Miami meet 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, accepted a “friendly bet” presented by Braun on Friday.

The loser will send local food to the winning governor.

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Indiana Gov. Mike Braun, left, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Getty Images)

“Hey @GovRonDeSantis, how about a friendly bet on the national championship?” —Braun asked.

“If IU loses, I will 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. Are you in?”

“Mike: I’m happy to oblige and I’m impressed with IU’s turnaround (thanks in part to a Miami kid at QB). But I’m totally committed to the U,” DeSantis responded.

“If Indiana wins, I’ll ship stone crabs and key lime pie from [Joe’s Stone Crab]. “I’ll drop you off in Naples or Marco Island, since this time of year that’s basically southern Indiana.”

Carson Beck of the Miami Hurricanes passes the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first quarter during a 2025 College Football Playoff semifinal in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on January 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

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The Hoosiers are 8.5-point favorites, so Governor 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 defeated No. 5 Oregon 56-22 in a semifinal last week, while Miami earned a trip to its own stadium after defeating No. 6 Ole Miss in a thriller after Carson Beck scored the winning touchdown with 18 seconds left.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws before a game against Wisconsin on Nov. 15, 2025, in Bloomington, Indiana. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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

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