College football fans love watching governors make bets on championship games.
This year's tradition took a hilarious turn nobody expected.
And Ron DeSantis made one joke after losing the CFP bet that left Indiana Governor Mike Braun laughing out loud.
DeSantis admits defeat after historic Indiana championship
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis found himself on the losing end of a friendly wager with Indiana Governor Mike Braun after Monday night's College Football Playoff national championship.
Indiana completed a perfect 16-0 season with a 27-21 victory over Miami at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2012344454892429567?s=20
The Hoosiers became the first FBS team to finish 16-0 since the 1894 Yale Bulldogs.
Coach Curt Cignetti led Indiana to victories over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship, destroyed Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl, and crushed Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl before beating Miami for the title.
Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza's fourth-quarter touchdown run sealed the victory and cost DeSantis some famous Florida delicacies.
DeSantis acknowledged the bet at a Tuesday press conference on nursing education.
The Florida Governor will send stone crabs and key lime pie from Joe's Stone Crab, the famous Miami Beach restaurant ranked as the best eating spot in Florida by Chef Standards last July.
Braun had offered to send pork tenderloin from Fischer Farms and sugar cream pie from Wicks Pies if Indiana lost.
DeSantis joked about the apparent imbalance.
"There's a little bit of an imbalance there," DeSantis quipped to laughs from the audience.
DeSantis suggests one shortcut that had everyone cracking up
The Florida Governor then suggested a solution that would make delivery much easier.
"You know, honestly, half of Indiana is in Marco Island this time of year," DeSantis said. "Can I just bring this stuff to Marco Island? It would be a lot easier for us."
Marco Island is a barrier island on Florida's southwest coast that's become a winter destination for Midwestern snowbirds.
The comment landed perfectly because it's completely true.
Thousands of Indiana residents flee to Florida's warm weather every winter to escape the brutal Midwest cold.
DeSantis was pointing out what everyone already knows about where Hoosiers spend January and February.
Braun attended Monday's championship game in Miami and posted his congratulations afterward.
"Indiana showed grit, discipline, and heart all season and tonight, they delivered for Hoosiers everywhere," Braun wrote on X.
DeSantis also praised Indiana's historic achievement on social media.
"Congrats to Indiana on a perfect 16-0 season," DeSantis wrote. "They have the best player, the best coach, and ran the table like no other school has done in the expanded playoff era."
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2013470204940931474?s=20
The Florida Governor called Mendoza's fourth-quarter touchdown run "a gutsy call" by Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and "an amazing play."
DeSantis acknowledged the magnitude of what Indiana accomplished.
"Given the program's historic futility, this may be the best achievement in college football history," DeSantis stated.
Cignetti pulled off greatest turnaround in sports history
Indiana's championship run marked the most improbable turnaround in college football history.
The Hoosiers entered the season as the losingest program in FBS history.
Cignetti arrived in Bloomington in December 2023 and went 27-2 over his first two seasons.
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/2013474410301145328?s=20
His famous quote "I win. Google me" proved prophetic as Indiana captured its first-ever national championship.
College football's expanded playoff created more opportunities for friendly wagers between governors.
Braun initiated this particular bet by posting on X before the championship game.
"Hey @GovRonDeSantis, how about a friendly wager on the national championship?" Braun wrote. "If IU loses, I'll send you some pork from @FischerFarmsIN, which is in my neck of the woods in Dubois County, plus some pies from the famous @WicksPies, including a sugar cream pie (an Indiana favorite). Pork and pie for bragging rights. You in?"
DeSantis quickly accepted.
Indiana was an 8.5-point favorite despite being a 10-seed in the playoff.
The Hoosiers justified that confidence by becoming champions.
DeSantis will have to shell out for those stone crabs and key lime pie.
But at least he can deliver them to Marco Island instead of making the trip all the way to Indiana.
Sources:
- Max Rego, "DeSantis loses CFP championship bet to Indiana governor," The Hill, January 20, 2026.
- Associated Press, "DeSantis loses bet on Miami Hurricanes, owes Indiana governor key lime pie and stone crabs," AP News, January 20, 2026.
- Joel Anderson, "Indiana Football Did the Impossible," The Ringer, January 20, 2026.
- Andrea Adelson, "How Indiana completed the most unlikely turnaround in college football history," ESPN, January 20, 2026.
