A beginner’s guide to the Hurricane’s path to a 6th national title 

By
Luca Mucciardi
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Makena Wong, Photo Editor, University of Miami football players run out for their game against University of Florida on Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025.

At 12 p.m. EST Saturday, the Miami Hurricanes will take on the Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

For Miami, it marks the program’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff. The CFP is currently in its second year of a new 12-team format, meaning that the top 12 teams in college football all have a chance to play for the national title.

The teams are seeded 1-12, and then a bracket is made with the top four teams (seeds 1-4), getting a bye for the first round, while seeds 5-8 play against seeds 9-12, with the higher seed playing their first round game at home.

Miami came into the playoff as the 10 seed, drawing them up against the 7 seeded Aggies, who are coming off a one-loss season in the SEC. If the Hurricanes are able to take home a victory on Saturday, they would advance to the quarterfinals, where the No. 2  Ohio State Buckeyes would be waiting.

David Lebowitz, Staff Photographer/ Sixth-Year Redshirt Senior quarterback Carson Beck and Sophomore tight end Elija Lofton celebrate after a touchdown on November 8, 2025.

All games after the first round (quarterfinals, semi-finals and final) are held on neutral site fields as “bowl games.” If Miami were to advance to the next round, its matchup against Ohio State would be the Goodyear Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas on New Year’s Eve.

Should Miami advance again to the semi-finals, they would then take part in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl taking place in Glendale, Ariz. on Jan. 8. 

Awaiting the ’Canes for this matchup would be either of the following three teams: 11 seeded Tulane, 6 seeded Ole Miss or 3 seed Georgia. Tulane takes on Ole Miss Saturday at 3:30 EST, with the winner facing Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day.

If the ’Canes are able to win three consecutive games, that would see the program in their first National Championship game since 2003. And, better yet, the game would be played right here in South Florida, at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19.

For the next four weeks, head coach Mario Cristobal and his men will be looking to keep the winning form going, all with the goal of returning back home to play for that coveted trophy on their own field.

Kickoff for the first round matchup between the Canes and the Aggies is set for 12 p.m. EST, 11:00 a.m. local time.

David Lebowitz, Staff Photographer – Sixth Year Redshirt Senior Wide Reciever CJ Daniels makes an incredible catch over a Stanford cornerback on October 26, 2025.