The Miami Hurricanes for the first time in program history have secured their spot in the College Football Playoff, earning themselves the final at-large bid, making it over Notre Dame.  After weeks of controversy, the head-to-head metric was the ultimate deciding factor in moving the ‘Canes past the Fighting Irish, due to the 27-24 win over Notre Dame back in August.  

Miami will travel to College Station on December 20th for the showdown against the #7 Texas A&M Aggies (11-1), led by star Quarterback and Heisman hopeful Marcel Reed. The game will kick off at 12:00 on ABC.  

Following the announcement- Aggies’ Head Coach Mike Elko spoke highly of the Hurricanes defense, “They’re a challenge. I don’t know that it’s possible to pick them apart. They’re really big and physical up fronte really big and physical up front, they’re got NFL talent all over the place,” Elko said. “I think they’re going to present a ton of challenges to us.”  

On the other side, Hurricanes Head Coach Mario Cristobal had a lot of positive to say after finding out his team was going to be playing for the opportunity of a National Championship, crediting the fanbase for playing a major part in fighting for the program to make it.  

“That part is unbelievable,” Cristobal said. “Coming back to Miami had nothing to do with a contract, fame, or fortune. It had everything to do with making sure the University of Miami made its way back to where it was. For them, this is awesome. 23 years of frustration, and now you have back-to-back 10-win seasons, and the opportunity to go and compete for a national championship.”  

Twenty-Three years of frustration like Coach Cristobal spoke of, and it now leads to the moment ahead of them: A chance to finally bring ‘The U’ back to the top of the college football world.

Cover Photo Credits: Jack Smeal, NewEraPrep