Hoosier fans travel south for Monday's CFP National Championship game

Miami Gardens, Fla.-- The Indiana Hoosiers take on the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday.

Hoosier fans are making their way south to watch and celebrate.

Some airlines even added additional flights between Indianapolis and Miami to accommodate the extra travel to and from Hard Rock Stadium.

ABC57’s Jordan Tolbert spoke with Keith Hatkevich, an IU grad and fan, heading to South Florida from South Bend to attend the game.

“I never thought I'd be going to the game to watch IU win a national championship. So, it's exciting,” said Hatkevich.

David Whitaker, President and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, says they recognize how important this game is to Hoosier Nation.

“Literally, the city is already filling up with you see red everywhere. And so, we know our Indiana Hoosier fans are here and coming. Our hotels are all booked. Most of them are sold out,” said Whitaker.

On Friday afternoon, the lowest ticket prices on websites like Ticketmaster, StubHub, and Seatgeek are over 3,000 for a single ticket.

“I think each university gets 20,000 tickets. Then there's resale tickets. In fact, tickets are crazy prices for these resale tickets. We know also that just fans come who are not even going to the game,” said Whitaker.

For those who are opting not to go to the game but looking for watch parties, Whitaker says a lot of hotels will have activations and almost every bar will have its tv on.

“Of course, the fans not only come to the game, but they fill up our pubs, and they fill up our restaurants. We're doing a big pep rally on the beach. We've got the fan zone at the convention center, marching bands. It's just going to be an awful lot of fun,” said Whitaker.

Though the Miami area is no stranger to large events, ABC57 asked Whitaker about the influx of visitors.

He says the biggest challenge is traffic and finding a parking spot.

“The good news is the stadium is in a bit of a remote location. A lot of interstate highways going to it. So, like I said, without sounding overly confident, we do a lot of big events. And so, we know the traffic plan,” said Whitaker.

Whitaker says they encourage people to consider public transportation or rideshare.

Miami hosted a CFP playoff game five years ago during the COVID pandemic, when Alabama played Ohio State.

According to ESPN, attendance for that game was just under 15,000 in a stadium that can hold approximately 65,000 for Dolphins games.

Multiple reports say President Donald Trump will attend the CFP championship game on Monday. Axios reports that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will join him.