The U is almost back. Hurricanes take on Indiana in title game
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
It's all about the U. Photo: Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
University of Miami football coach Mario Cristobal may not want to say "The U is back" just yet, but his Hurricanes are on the verge of bringing the city its first taste of college football glory in decades.
Why it matters: The U is (almost) back atop the college football world — 24 years since future NFL Hall of Famers Andre Johnson and Ed Reed led the school to its fifth national title.
State of play: The No. 10 Hurricanes (13-2) play the undefeated No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers on Monday at Hard Rock Stadium (7:30pm, ESPN).
- UM is looking to win its fourth national championship in Miami, the previous three being at the Orange Bowl, per the Miami Herald.
Catch up quick: UM, which is an underdog in the title game, almost didn't make the playoffs. They were one of the last "at-large" teams selected to participate in the 12-team tourney.
- Once in the tournament, Miami had to pull off three upset wins just to make it here.
- UM started the season 5-0. After a Nov. 1 loss to SMU, it won seven straight games.
Names to know: Miami is anchored by its defense, which ranked fifth in the FBS in opponent scoring, as the Associated Press notes.
- UM defensive linemen Rueben Bain Jr., the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and Akheem Mesidor lead the charge on D.
- The offense is led by quarterback Carson Beck, running back Mark Fletcher and wide receiver Malachi Toney, the ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The other side: Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a Miami-raised Christopher Columbus grad and this year's Heisman Trophy winner, has eight touchdowns and just five incompletions in Indiana's two games so far this tournament.
- Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds, who went to Chaminade Madonna, has been the defensive MVP of Indiana's two CFP games.
- The program has made a huge turnaround this season after leading the nation with 713 losses over 130-plus years heading into the 2024 season, per AP.
The intrigue: Even though UM is playing at home, as the lower seed, it will technically be a road game for the Hurricanes.
- That means the team will play from the north sideline instead of the south sideline, the Herald reports.
- It also calls into question whether the team will enter the field under a tunnel of smoke as is customary during home games.
- A recent press release from the university says, "Plan on seeing a slightly different approach to the on-field arrival as that is being choreographed by the College Football Playoff."