Miami Hurricanes’ CFP Run Could Lead Them Right Back Home After Crushing Ohio State To End 2025

The Miami Hurricanes are now just one win away from playing for a national championship inside their home stadium, thanks to a dominating defensive performance against Ohio State that left plenty of fans across college football shocked as 2025 came to an end. 

After traveling to the State of Texas twice within the past twelve days, the Hurricanes looked like a team who could be hosting a trophy in just over two weeks, wreaking havoc on the Buckeyes offensive line for the entire game. 

Sure, there was plenty of doubt surrounding this Miami team entering the playoff, snagging the final spot over Notre Dame in a dramatic conclusion to an argument that had been ongoing for five weeks. 

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If you were looking for a team that is trying to prove a point to the entire country, look no further than what Mario Cristobal is getting out of this group from South Florida. If we're being honest, Ohio State was lucky Miami decided to get loose in the secondary for a bit with Jeremiah Smith, but even the best wide receiver in college football could not save the Buckeyes. 

Mario Cristobal of the Miami Hurricanes celebrates after defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 24-14 in the 2025 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal.  (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Was this the most dominating performance from Carson Beck? No, but Miami is proving that getting just enough from the former Georgia quarterback can push this team to a shot at playing for a national championship. 

For Ohio State, their second straight loss is going to sit with this fan base for a while. And let's not exaggerate the talking point of the Buckeyes having not played a game in nearly a month. I don't remember that part being an excuse for a team like Oregon last season after losing to the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl. 

No, this was a game in which Miami put its physical dominance along the line of scrimmage on display, for the second straight week. 

"Hats off to our guys for being some tough ass sons of bitches," Mario Cristobal said postgame. 

Next Up For Miami? A Carson Beck Reunion With Georgia, Or Ole Miss

Oh, there will be a lot of chatter around this potential matchup in the semifinals, especially with Carson Beck leaving Georgia last season for the beaches of Miami. 

But, that will be decided tonight when the Bulldogs face Ole Miss for a spot in the Fiesta Bowl semifinals, as the Hurricanes watch from home. There was even a moment during his postgame interview that Carson Beck could not stop smiling when the potential showdown with his former team was brought up. 

Sure, that would be a fun caveat to the college football playoff, but I really don't think it matters at the moment for whichever offense has to line up against this Miami defense. 

On Wednesday night, just an hour before the start of 2026, the Hurricanes were celebrating inside the locker room inside AT&T Stadium. At the same time, Ryan Day was in the beginning stages of trying to figure out what went wrong over the past two games for the Buckeyes. 

Maybe we gave Ohio State too much credit this season? 

For now, this ride continues for a Miami team that plenty had written off once they saw an opening round game against Texas A&M to start their CFP journey. 

Two games later, the Hurricanes shocked football fans with their physical dominance that could end up leading them to a title game appearance inside Hard Rock Stadium. I don't think most of us had that on our 2025 bingo card. 

But now? This looks like a team that could win a national championship. 

Not many people would've said that just a few weeks ago. They might not be ‘back’, but Miami is darn sure close.