Miami’s College Football Playoff run is continuing on to the national championship game.
After beating No. 7 seed Texas A&M on its home field in the first round of the CFP and upsetting No. 2 Ohio State in the CFP quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl, the 10th-seeded Hurricanes punched their ticket to the CFP final with a 31-27 win over No. 6 Ole Miss in the CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night.
In a back-and-forth battle where neither team ever led by more than seven points, Miami won the game with a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that culminated with Miami quarterback Carson Beck taking off and running for a 3-yard touchdown on 2nd-and-goal with 18 seconds remaining.
MIAMI WITH A SPOT IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE LINE!
— ESPN (@espn) January 9, 2026
Canes takes the lead with 18 seconds left pic.twitter.com/PI9RRBqGau
Beck completed 23 of 37 passing attempts for 268 yards and two touchdowns with one interception while Mark Fletcher ran for 133 yards on 22 carries to lead Miami to victory. Each of Miami’s top two receivers made big plays, as Keelan Marion scored a 52-yard touchdown and Malachi Toney scored a 36-yard touchdown, as the Hurricanes put up 459 total yards of offense.
THE FRESHMAN
— ESPN (@espn) January 9, 2026
Malachi Toney turned on the jets! pic.twitter.com/pCvyMAOknz
Miami will now have a chance to play for a national title on its home field, as Hard Rock Stadium will host this year’s national championship game on Jan. 19. The Hurricanes will face the winner of Friday’s CFP semifinal at the Peach Bowl between Indiana and Oregon (7:30 p.m., ESPN).
It’s the first time the Hurricanes will play in a national championship game since their double-overtime loss to Ohio State in the 2003 BCS National Championship Game.
Ole Miss’ loss, meanwhile, ensured the SEC will be left out of the national championship game for a third straight year. The SEC finished bowl season with a 4-10 record, the worst record of any Power 4 conference.
