The Miami Hurricanes grabbed the No. 10 seed in the College Football Playoff with a 10-2 record regular season record, a four-game closing kick that brought a 151-41 scoring edge and a difference-making win over Notre Dame in September.
Now comes the fun part: Miami can win the whole thing, not just make the bracket.
This roster fits playoff football. Mario Cristobal built the program around the line of scrimmage, and few CFP teams match Miami’s combination of star power and depth up front. Walter Camp first-teamers Rueben Bain Jr. and Francis Mauigoa anchor groups that also feature a wave of capable rotation pieces.
Quarterback play gives this team another championship ingredient. Carson Beck brings SEC scars and more than 8,700 career passing yards into the tournament. He distributes the ball to a deep receiver room that includes electric freshman Malachi Toney and veteran outside threats, which forces defenses to pick their poison instead of loading up against the run.
On defense, Miami carries a unit that looks built for this bracket. Bain wrecks pockets off the edge, the secondary features Power Five-tested talent, and Cristobal’s staff found the right mix between aggressive pressure and sound coverage as the season progressed.
The path, while brutal, offers opportunity. Step 1: survive Kyle Field. Texas A&M stands undefeated at home and favored by roughly a field goal, but Miami holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series. An early punch from Beck and the passing game, plus one of those trademark Bain big plays, can silence the crowd and tilt momentum.
A win in College Station sends Miami to the Cotton Bowl for a quarterfinal against No. 2 Ohio State. The Buckeyes bring blue-chip talent everywhere, but they also rely on timing and rhythm in the passing game. Miami’s front can disrupt that rhythm.
From there, the Hurricanes draw the Sugar Bowl winner between No. 3 Georgia and the Ole Miss–Tulane survivor in a semifinal, then a title showdown against Indiana, Texas Tech, Oregon or another upset maker. Nobody in that group towers over the rest; each contender shows clear pressure points.
Intangibles matter, too. Cristobal already stacked back-to-back 10-win seasons, swept in-state rivals and dragged Miami from punchline to playoff in four years. Inside that locker room, players feel 23 years of pent-up fanbase frustration and carry a chance to finish the climb with a national title game in their own backyard at Hard Rock Stadium.
This stage rewards teams with elite lines, a grown-man quarterback and a defense that loves contact. Miami owns all three. The Hurricanes entered the playoff through the side door, but they hold enough firepower to blow the bracket wide open.
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