Fans Dive In as CFP Brings "4th and 5" to Life in Bloomington
9/7/2026 8:26:00 AM | Football
Ahead of Indiana's home opener against North Texas on September 5, the CFP set up an area outside Memorial Stadium for fans to recreate Fernando Mendoza's iconic "4th and 5" touchdown run that ultimately led to the Hoosiers' first-ever CFP National Championship title. Finding opportunities to celebrate the reigning CFP National Champions on their campus during their first home game is a new initiative the CFP is evaluating.
Free and open to fans of all ages, the activation included turf that was marked with Mendoza's exact running path, so fans could take a football and dive into the end zone (on a safe mat to brace the fall), recreating what is arguably the biggest play in IU football history.
The CFP's social content of the "4th and 5" activation generated more than 12.5 million impressions, 440,000 likes and 9,800 comments in Week 1 alone. That includes a first-person POV TikTok of the recreation, which has already topped 1.4 million views and is still climbing. It's the second CFP TikTok since June to pass the million-view mark, underscoring how well fans are responding to the CFP's always-on content strategy. The experience also garnered social coverage from national media outlets of the likes of Sports Illustrated, the Sporting News and Front Office Sports.
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