Overview
- Videos showed long lines, tents and blankets outside The Upstairs Pub and other downtown bars roughly 12 hours before the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff in about 11°F conditions.
- The Upstairs Pub urged people not to camp overnight due to exposure risk and asked that any line begin no earlier than 7 a.m.
- Bloomington Police increased staffing and issued safety advisories, with potential East Kirkwood closures, targeted parking restrictions, ride-share pickups shifted to Fourth Street, and buses and dump trucks staged to block vehicle access.
- Indiana University’s official Assembly Hall watch party was free, sold out within hours, and drew fans who waited for hours in the cold to secure seats.
- Indiana beat Miami 27–21 to win the national championship, concluding a day of packed watch sites across Bloomington.