ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) 鈥� When Miami left Texas after an overtime loss to SMU at the start of November, the Hurricanes were at their lowest point of the season. There was a very dim forecast for getting into the College Football Playoff.
By New Year鈥檚 Day, after a Texas two-step in the playoff, the 10th-ranked Hurricanes (12-2, CFP No. 10 seed) were a win away from a chance to play for a national championship in their home stadium.
鈥淚t means everything to this team,鈥� quarterback Carson Beck said. 鈥淭his team has constantly battled through adversity, constantly fought. … We鈥檝e banded together as one. We鈥檝e shown unity. We鈥檝e shown connection. We鈥檝e shown that we鈥檙e a family.鈥�
They also have proven to be well-deserving of that at-large CFP berth they got without an Atlantic Coast Conference title. Miami made its playoff debut with a , then was back in the Lone Star State 11 days later to without a penalty in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal on New Year’s Eve.
The Hurricanes play a at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 against Ole Miss (13-1, CFP seed No. 6) after the on Thursday night over No. 3 seed Georgia, Beck’s former team. Beck was part of back-to-back national titles with the Bulldogs in 2021 and ’22 before he was a starter.
This year’s national championship game is Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami has won six games in a row since that on Nov. 1, which was its second loss in three games after a 5-0 start propelled it to a No. 2 AP ranking that was its highest since 2017.
鈥淚t was a low point. And we quickly, we got together because we have really good people, and we work really, really, really hard. And we weren鈥檛 achieving the results that we set out to have, and that鈥檚 difficult. That鈥檚 a punch in the gut,鈥� Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said. 鈥淵’all saw the 5% chance we had to make the CFP. (Players) saw it.”
A convoluted tiebreaker left Miami out of the ACC championship game while five-loss Duke became the league champion and then was left out of the 12-team playoff field when higher-ranked Group of Five champions Tulane and James Madison got automatic berths.
Keionte Scott, a transfer from Auburn, returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown to give Miami a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter of the Cotton Bowl.
鈥淚 could just tell, when I first got here, the program was just very serious about what they were trying to get done. You could tell everybody in the room had their eyes on one goal,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淚 feel like Coach Cristobal does a good job of keeping us focused and keeping us on task. … We鈥檙e never satisfied.鈥�
Past champions
The last national title for 鈥淭he U鈥� was in 2001, which was their fifth; Cristobal was a standout offensive tackle for the Hurricanes in their 1989 and 1991 championship seasons. The Hurricanes were denied a repeat championship in 2002 with a double-overtime loss to Ohio State in their last Fiesta Bowl appearance.
Before receiver Michael Irvin and coach Jimmy Johnson were Super Bowl champions with the Dallas Cowboys, the Pro Football Hall of Famers won the 1987 national title with Miami. Irvin also played a role in getting Cristobal to become a Hurricane nearly 40 years ago; he was one of the recruiting hosts on Cristobal鈥檚 official visit.
Irvin was on the sideline during the Cotton Bowl and Johnson was nearby when Cristobal acknowledged the coach during the on-field trophy presentation.
鈥淗e changed our lives, my brother and I. We were still kind of a nobody. … He offered my brother and I scholarships. My parents, may they rest in peace, they didn鈥檛 even know what a scholarship was. They鈥檙e Cuban-Americans that came over and found a way and tried to make a living,” Cristobal said. 鈥淔ast forward, almost 40 years later, and he鈥檚 out there on the sidelines supporting us. He set such a high standard. … Really proud that this team is making him proud.鈥�
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