MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami flies home Friday from the Fiesta Bowl. This will be the Hurricanes' last trip of the season.
They'll get to the next game—the last game—by bus.
For the fifth time, Miami will play for the national championship on its home field. The first four of these games were played at the now-demolished Orange Bowl Stadium; That matchup against Oregon or Indiana in the College Football Playoff title game on Jan. 19 will be played at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, where the Hurricanes have played their home games since 2008.
“We're back in Hard Rock,” cornerback Carson Beck said after he made the go-ahead touchdown — with his feet, not his hand — in Miami's 31-27 win over Mississippi in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday night. “So I guess that's all that needs to be said.”
Miami is 3-1 in other National Championship games at home – although it should be noted that in the Bowl Championship Series, and now in the CFP era when the “National Championship Game” was called, the Hurricanes haven't gone that far.
“This team knows they are a team and the time has come,” coach Mario Cristobal said during an on-field celebration Thursday night.
Other teams have won national championships close to home over the years. For example, Southern California won national titles in the 1931 and 1932 seasons after winning the Rose Bowl (it wasn't USC's home field, but it wasn't exactly a long trip for the Trojans either). This occurred before the Associated Press began awarding the national championship trophy for the 1936 season.
In recent years, LSU won the BCS title (but not the AP title) during the 2003 season, winning the Sugar Bowl in nearby New Orleans — about 80 miles from Baton Rouge. LSU secured national championships in the 2007 and 2019 seasons, also winning in New Orleans.
However, staying at home – or close to home – does not guarantee titles. Texas beat USC in the Rose Bowl to win the 2005 national championship. In the 2011 and 2017 seasons, Alabama faced what could be called road games and won both, passing LSU in New Orleans and Georgia in Atlanta for the national crowns.
Miami's last home title game was also a loss, as the Hurricanes fell to Oklahoma 24-17 to end the 1994 season.
Here's a look at Miami's previous home games.
1983 season: Miami 31, Nebraska 30
The Hurricanes jumped out to a 17-0 lead over the top-ranked, undefeated and heavily favored Cornhuskers, who made it 31-30 with 48 seconds left. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne decided to try for a two-point conversion rather than play for the tie; the pass was incomplete, and Miami finished No. 1 in the AP poll. “We're No. 1,” Hurricanes coach Howard Schnellenberger said. “There's no doubt about it.” He was right, and Miami won its first national title.
1987 Sorson: Miami 20, Okia 14
Oklahoma came in undefeated and ranked first, Miami remained undefeated and ranked second. The teams were tied 7–7 at halftime, but the Hurricanes scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to win their second national championship.
1991 Season: Miami 22, Nebraska 0
Miami's fourth national title and third title won at the Orange Bowl was not a contest. The Hurricanes led 13-0 just 11 minutes into the game, and the defense never allowed Nebraska, a double-digit underdog, to get on track.
1994 Season: Nebraska 24, Miami 17
In the final year of the short-lived Bowl Coalition era, the Hurricanes jumped out to a 10–0 lead after the first quarter. But the Cornhuskers wouldn't go away, and Corey Schlesinger threw two fourth-quarter touchdowns to complete the comeback and lead Nebraska to the victory.
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