How underdogs Miami, Ole Miss earned a trip to the Fiesta Bowl

Miami’s selection as the final at-large bid by the College Football Playoff committee was controversial. Ole Miss lost head coach Lane Kiffin to rival LSU at the end of the regular season. And yet, the programs upset two of the last three national champions to reach next week’s CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl.

The Hurricanes’ daunting defense handled defending-champion Ohio State on Tuesday at the Cotton Bowl, while the Rebels with interim head coach Pete Golding and former Division-II quarterback Trinidad Chambliss won their rematch against No. 3 Georgia at Wednesday’s Sugar Bowl.

Miami or Ole Miss will, against all odds, reach the national championship against the winner of Indiana versus Oregon in the Peach Bowl.

Is “The U” back? Can Ole Miss finish its best season in more than 60 years after losing its coach?

The Fiesta Bowl is on Thursday, with kickoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. MST on ESPN 620 AM (will join 98.7 in progress at 7 p.m.) and the Arizona Sports app.

How did Miami make the Fiesta Bowl?

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The 10-2 Hurricanes’ inclusion in the field of 12 came as somewhat of a surprise considering whom they leaped over. Notre Dame (10-2) was ranked ahead of Miami in every reveal of the CFP rankings, and neither team played a conference title game for a late resume boost — Notre Dame is not in a conference and Miami missed the ACC title game on tiebreakers.

The explanation for Miami was a Week 1 victory over the Fighting Irish gave it a head-to-head advantage. Notre Dame’s athletic director Pete Bevacqua told ESPN that the program was in “utter disbelief” at the omission after winning 10 straight games.

Notre Dame opted out of bowl game participation, while Miami prepared for No. 7 Texas A&M.

Miami, with former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck under center, started the 2025 season with five straight wins, three against then-ranked opponents. The season turned with a pair of tight losses to Louisville and SMU before the Hurricanes rattled off four blowout wins to end the campaign.

In a five-team tie for the final spot in the ACC title game, Duke received the nod due to combined win-percentage of conference opponents. Commissioner Jim Phillips said the ACC will examine its tiebreaker process after leaving the best team out of its conference title game, potentially costing it a CFP berth.

Against Texas A&M, in front of a crowd more than 100,000 strong at College Station, Miami forced three turnovers in a 10-3 win on Dec. 20. Receiver Malachi Toney scored the game-winning touchdown in the final two minutes.

That set up a quarterfinal matchup with Ohio State, the program Miami played in the 2002-03 Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium. The Buckeyes won the national championship with a double overtime win in Tempe, and Miami has not played for a national title since.

With Hall of Fame alums Michael Irvin and Ray Lewis hyped on the sideline on Tuesday, Miami jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a pick-six from Keionte Scott off Julian Sayin. Ohio State cut the deficit to to 17-14 in the fourth quarter but never caught up, as Miami’s CharMar Brown ran in for a five-yard touchdown to put the Hurricanes up two scores with less than a minute remaining.

Head coach Mario Cristobal’s team has won six straight games and has not allowed more than 17 points in any of them. Miami ranks fourth in points per game allowed at 13.1 this year and leads the country with 46 sacks.

How did Ole Miss make the Fiesta Bowl

(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Ole Miss went 11-1 during the regular season with Kiffin coaching, but in arguably an indictment of the new college football landscape, he departed for LSU ahead of his team’s postseason run. Kiffin wanted to coach throughout the playoff, but the university opted to move on as he headed for a fellow SEC program.

Golding was promoted from defensive coordinator to interim coach, and the Rebels crushed Tulane in their CFP opener before outlasting Georgia in a classic 39-34 game.

Georgia had been the only team to beat Ole Miss during the regular season, which kept the Rebels out of the SEC title game. Kiffin’s squad ended the season with five victories before entering the CFP as the No. 6 seed.

The Bulldogs went up 21-12 at halftime, but Ole Miss jumped ahead 34-24 after scoring touchdowns on three straight possessions. Chambliss, who won a national title at D-II Ferris State last season, made dazzling plays and finished with 362 yards and two touchdowns.

LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE FROM TRINIDAD CHAMBLISS 😤 🇹🇹 @OleMissFB pic.twitter.com/Mq2ixsDEcm

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 2, 2026

Georgia had another run left and tied the game with 56 seconds left, but a 40-yard connection between Chambliss and receiver De’Zhaun Stribling set the Rebels up for a game-winning field goal from Lucas Carneiro.

“A lot of people did doubt us, before the season, then when our coach left,” Chambliss told reporters postgame. “But we’re just having fun, and I think that shows.”

Ole Miss has the 10th-highest scoring team in the country (37.6 points per game) with Chambliss sixth in passing yards. The Rebels, with Charlie Weis Jr. calling offensive plays before he joins Kiffin at LSU, have not scored fewer than 30 points in any of their last eight games.

Have Miami or Ole Miss played in the Fiesta Bowl before?

(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

This is a pretty fresh matchup for the Fiesta Bowl, as Miami has not played in the event since its title loss to Ohio State. This will be the program’s fifth trip to the Fiesta Bowl, as it will seek its first win in the event.

Miami will be back on the @vrbo Fiesta Bowl stage for the first time in 23 years! 🌵🏈

Swipe through moments from @CanesFootball's last four Fiesta Bowl appearances and get ready to add another chapter.

Canes fans, make the trip west.⁰🎟️ https://t.co/JKFILddbcv pic.twitter.com/ZRWMFUcAQk

— Fiesta Sports Foundation (@Fiesta_Bowl) January 1, 2026

Miami has not won a national title since 2001, when Ken Dorsey was the quarterback, the running backs trio included Clinton Portis, Frank Gore and Willis McGahee while Jeremy Shockey and Andre Johnson led the program in receiving. Ed Reed picked off nine passes that year.

Ole Miss has never played in the Fiesta Bowl. The Rebels won one national title, back in 1960, as this has been their best season by win percentage since 1962.

Miami and Ole Miss have not played each other since 1951.

This is the first game of its kind for the Fiesta Bowl.

State Farm Stadium hosted a CFP semifinal game three years ago between Michigan and TCU, but that matchup was set weeks in advance. In a new CFP format, this game will be telling in terms of how the Fiesta Bowl can draw traveling fans that boost the local economies with a week’s notice of who is playing.

ZERO seats available on nonstop flights from Miami to Phoenix the day before the Fiesta Bowl.

This is why it's always smart to book well in advance based on a potential game. Can always get credit/refund.

FLL? JetBlue added one flight with few seats left at $1300 RT.

— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) January 2, 2026

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