As the Miami Hurricanes enjoyed their plethora of winnings, defeating the Texas A&M Aggies, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Ole Miss Rebels in the first three rounds, they watched in horror as they realized they may not have their preferred opponent in the National Championship game.
In the other semifinal matchup, the No. 5 Oregon Ducks took on the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers, and it became readily apparent that Miami head coach Mario Cristobal's former team was not ready for the moment.
On the first play of the game, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore threw an interception for a pick-six, and the rest was history. Indiana rapidly ran away with the game, and just like that, the Canes were lined up to play the No. 1 team in the nation, instead of a team that lost to the same opponent twice.
Miami got Indiana, instead of the preferred Oregon matchup
The Hoosiers were seemingly unstoppable all season long, blowing past the Ducks in their regular-season matchup and then blowing past every other opponent that came across their path.
With wins over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, Indiana was undeniably the best team in the nation.
Of course, the Canes would have preferred to play the Ducks in the National Championship game. Who in their right mind would choose to play the undefeated No. 1 team in the country?
Holding an otherwise dominant Oregon offense to just 22 points, the Hoosiers put up 56 points of their own and completely dominated a team that was coming off a shutout victory over the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Indiana has controlled every team it has come across so far this postseason, and the Canes now have a massive uphill battle ahead of them as they prepare to take on the Hoosiers in the biggest game of the year.