After a highly controversial inclusion in the College Football Playoff to begin with, Miami has an opportunity to shut all the haters up with a generational run. It's just going to take a little luck and a lot of scoring to do so.
The Hurricanes enter the 12-team bracket as the No. 10 seed, the final at-large team admitted as Notre Dame was excluded after occupying that spot for multiple weeks. Out of all the Power Conference participants, Miami clearly has the most difficult path of all but that doesn't mean it's guaranteed to be one and done.
THE 12-TEAM CFP BRACKET IS SET‼️
— ESPN (@espn) December 7, 2025
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What Miami needs to happen to win the CFP
First round: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 7 Texas A&M
The Hurricanes head down to College Station for the first time since 2022 for the programs' sixth all-time meeting. The Aggies won that meeting 17-9 but Miami got revenge the following season at home 48-33. Overall, Miami leads the all-time series 3-2 and has won three of the last four meetings.
While Texas A&M has been a formidable foe all year and College Station is known to be one of the hardest places to play in all of college football, the Hurricanes may look to history to give them much needed momentum. Additionally, Miami has the sixth-best scoring defense in the nation (13.83 points allowed per game), which could come in handy when trying to force the inexperienced Marcel Reed into mistakes. Carson Beck has been here before, he knows the CFP intimately. The Hurricanes cannot be so easily overlooked.
Quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State
If there was ever a time to catch the Buckeyes sleeping, it would be now. Sure, they were given a nasty wake up call in their Big Ten championship loss to Indiana but if anything, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal was just handed the playbook on how to beat the defending national champs.
The Hurricanes' defense has the firepower necessary to trouble the inexperienced Julian Sayin, Heisman finalist be damned. Though, Beck will need to be wary of Ohio State's top-ranked scoring defense (8.15 points allowed per game). The Buckeyes looked anemic on offense against Indiana and that could be the key to a massive upset. Stifle their ability to move the ball downfield and the playing field has been leveled.
Semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 6 Ole Miss
Here's where things need to start going Miami's way elsewhere in the bracket. The Hurricanes won't be able to match up against No. 3 Georgia who appears to be one of the most dangerous teams in the field. If No. 6 Ole Miss can find a way to get revenge on the Bulldogs in the quarterfinal, then Miami is back in business.
Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is inexperienced and Miami's defense can take advantage of that. Beck is also very familiar with SEC defenses and should be able to navigate whatever Ole Miss throws at him.
National championship: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 4 Texas Tech
There are two teams Miami will have to pray do not make it to the national championship if it's lucky enough to reach the title game: No. 1 Indiana and No. 5 Oregon. For obvious reasons, the Hoosiers pose the biggest threat but the Ducks look to be one of the most dangerous programs in the bracket besides Georgia. That leaves No. 4 Texas Tech as the next likely candidate to advance that the Hurricanes would rather see.
The Red Raiders have a solid defense but rely heavily on a shock-and-awe offense. If Cristobal designs his defensive scheme around blitzing QB Behren Morton, the 23-year-old will make mistakes.
The national championship trophy is well within grasp for the Hurricanes but the slim path they'd need to take is still perilous and filled with obstacles. If things fall in place elsewhere in the bracket, Miami could successfully pull off one of the greatest narratives in college football history.