The Miami Hurricanes literally clawed their way into the playoffs, and now the dividends are paying off. QB Carson Beck did not make it to the Heisman ceremony in New York, but is making Arlington bow down to Miami’s prowess. Naturally, head coach Mario Cristobal couldn’t be prouder of his boys.

“When we got back to the University of Miami, people expected us to step foot on campus. And boom! Championships were going to happen,” Mario Cristobal shared post-Cotton Bowl win. “Honestly, I’d been away for 20 plus years, and I just, I would cringe and lose my mind whenever I hear that the U is back. Back to what?”

On New Year’s Eve, Miami saw a new dawn in its storied history, marked by five national championship cups that adorn its campus halls. It has been more than 20 years since the U saw a glimpse of that trophy. The last time Miami won the national title was in 2001; since then, the program has been yearning to bring it back home.

When Coach Cristobal arrived on campus, the program was reeling from the aftermath of Manny Diaz’s firing. Going from a 5-7 to a 10-2 record was full of challenges and required a lot of patience. And after you win the national title, there is an increased expectation to replicate that success again. Sure, it paid off, but getting here was far from easy.

That reality hit its lowest point on Nov. 2, following an overtime loss to SMU that handed Miami a second defeat and appeared to end its College Football Playoff hopes. The postgame mood was bleak, and outside noise around the program had turned sharply critical.

Even after beating Notre Dame in a head-to-head contest, Miami wasn’t provided the benefit of that hard-earned victory in the initial rankings until the last moment. Even after holding a 10-2 record, the ACC title game had already slipped past their fingers, but the locker room was determined to make it to the playoffs.

The turning point came the very next day. Cristobal gathered his staff for what he now calls “The Meeting.” There was no yelling, no blame. Instead, he challenged his coaches to become the team’s loudest believers at a moment when no one else was. “We are going to have to be our best fans, our best supporters, our best family,” Cristobal recalled. “I’m going to lift you up. You’re going to lift me up.”

“Never ever mess with the mindset of your players,” he added. “Say, hey, we have to go back to what these guys did. We actually have to do it better and go forward, and we’re progressing.”

On Wednesday, Miami recorded three touchdowns and a field goal for 291 yards. The first 15 minutes were quiet, but the offense found its rhythm in the second quarter, powering the Hurricanes to a 24–14 win. As the celebrations erupted, one Miami legend nearly lost it.

Miami legend breaks into a victory lap

The moment RB CharMar Brown broke into a 5-yarder fame-winning TD sprint, Miami’s sidelines erupted in an absolute joyfest, featuring Miami legend Michael Irvin’s victory lap. Clad in green and orange, Irwin threw up his hands in the iconic U sign, beaming with pride.

Having won the 1987 national championship for the Canes, Michael Irvin knows the grind – the making of a national title program. As he watched his alma mater inch closer to the natty, his excitement got the best of him.

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Even before the game kicked off, Irvin had been confident about his alma mater’s victory.

“At offensive and defensive line, Ohio State’s never seen anything like what we have,” he had said. Miami backed it up by controlling the trenches, finishing with five sacks, forcing two interceptions, and holding Ohio State to just 45 rushing yards, including minus-three yards on the ground at halftime, the Buckeyes’ worst such mark since 2004.

After Miami’s defense snagged two interceptions and five sacks, and an offense that tallied 24 points, his words couldn’t have resonated better. The Canes led 14–0 at the break after a defensive interception returned for a touchdown and did just enough late, grinding out clock with the run game when the moment demanded it, the exact brand of physical football Cristobal envisioned when he took over.

The 24–14 win felt like sweet payback for the night Ohio State stunned Miami 31–24 in the Fiesta Bowl, which had crushed the Hurricanes’ national title hopes. Twenty-three years later, the roles were reversed. Miami, once again the underdog, bullied the defending champion this time as a program finally built in Cristobal’s image. Whether “The U” is fully back remains to be seen. But for the first time in decades, it no longer sounds premature to say they’re close.