Nibir Sarma took home $100,000 after beating out students from USC and Indiana University

What is “Jeopardy! College Champion?”

On Friday, Alex Trebek crowned the winner of the 2020 Jeopardy! College Championship: University of Minnesota sophomore Nibir Sarma. The chemical engineering major took home $100,000 and a spot in the show’s coveted Tournament of Champions.

“I’m so proud and happy to represent the state of Minnesota, and also represent students at large public universities who sort of get viewed in a different way than, say, some private colleges,” Sarma said in a press release. “I really love representing my hometown college and my community.”

“I’m hoping, since Minnesota isn’t featured that often in [the] national conversation, that I can bring some attention to our area and to the whole state that made me into the person I am today,” he continued.

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Coming in second place was Indiana University’s Tyler Combs with $50,000, followed by the University of Southern California’s Xiaoke Ying in third with $25,000.

- Courtesy of Jeopardy Productions, Inc. Courtesy of Jeopardy Productions, Inc.

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Sarma is the first-ever University of Minnesota student to win the championship since the special collegiate tournament started in 1989. Only one college champion has ever won the Tournament of Champions competition — Tom Cubbage from Southern Methodist University.

“I know the competition there will be very tough and the questions will be a lot harder, so I’m planning on studying a lot more for that tournament as it gets closer,” Sarma said about the next level. “For now, I’m just relaxing. It’s still on the horizon, but I don’t want to stress myself out more than I have to. I just won $100 grand; I feel like I can afford to relax a bit!”