Carson Beck silenced his doubters leading Miami to a 31-27 win over Mississippi in the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff semifinals. Miami head coach Mario Cristobal is one of the most focused coaches in college football and will have Miami solely thinking about Indiana and ignoring the outside noise.
Cristobal has constantly supported Beck through losses to Louisville and SMU this season. Beck threw six combined interceptions in the losses to the Cardinals and Mustangs. Beck has thrown five interceptions in the 13 Miami wins.
Critics of Cristobal and Beck will focus on how Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza plays. Mendoza told Scott Van Pelt and Rece Davis of ESPN during the postgame after the Indiana 56-22 win over Oregon on Friday night that he grew up a half mile from the Miami campus.
Cristobal played on the offensive line at Miami Columbus High School with Mendoza's father. Mendoza's mother, Elsa, then known as Elsa Espino, played tennis at Miami. The Miami connections to the Mendoza family run deep.
Fernando Mendoza returning to his hometown Miami to play the Hurricanes for the National Championship is straight out of a Hollywood script:
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 10, 2026
- Mendoza grew up a mile from Miami's campus.
- Mendoza won a state championship at Miami's Columbus High, the alma mater of Mario… pic.twitter.com/MTA05LCjI9
Choosing Carson Beck
Almost every program nationally would have chosen Beck over Mendoza out of the 2025 Transfer Portal. Beck was the second-ranked QB in the 2025 Transfer Portal rankings by 247Sports. Mendoza was the fourth-ranked 2025 Transfer Portal QB.
Mendoza committed to Indiana as a transfer in December. Cristobal and the Miami staff waited for a QB in the Transfer Portal for the second consecutive season. Beck chose Miami from Georgia in January after initially declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft.
How well Beck and Mendoza play in the National Championship Game on January 19 will be the focus of the media and message boards in the postgame. Beck has shown he was the right decision for Miami by leading the Hurricanes to game-clinching and winning drives in each of the three CFP games.
Beck has played at his best in the big moments for Miami in the CFP. Against Mississippi, Beck had an 80.2 Pro Football Focus passing grade on third down. Beck can finish off a magical run to the National Championship by leading Miami to the title at Hard Rock Stadium and muting his and Cristobal's critics.