The Miami Hurricanes have a spot at the table. That's the good news. The bad news is they will be on the road against Texas A&M. The game will be played on Saturday, December 20th at Noon. ESPN will have the broadcast.
Early odds from FanDuel have the Hurricanes as 4.5-point underdogs. The Hurricanes are one of three road teams that are underdogs for the first-round of the playoffs. Alabama is the only road team that is favored. This is the first time Miami will be underdogs since the season opener against Notre Dame, which the Hurrricanes won 27-24.
CFP opening round lines from @FDSportsbook
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) December 7, 2025
Alabama (-1.5) at Oklahoma
Miami at Texas A&M (-4.5)
Tulane at Ole Miss (-17.5)
JMU at Oregon (-21.5)
The Hurricanes and Aggies have some history
Miami and Texas A&M are no strangers to each other. The Hurricanes and Aggies have played four times since 2007, with Miami winning three of the games. They split a home-and-home series in 2022 and 2023 with Texas A&M winning 17-9 in College Station in 2022 and the Hurricanes winning 48-33 at Hard Rock Stadium in 2023.
The teams have two common opponents from the regular season — Notre Dame and Florida. Miami beat Notre Dame 27-24 on August 31 and knocked off the Gators, 26-7, on September 20. Both games were at Hard Rock Stadium. The Aggies beat Notre Dame 41-40 in South Bend on September 13 and downed the Gators, 34-17, on October 11 from Kyle Field.
This is another ACC vs. SEC matchup, the 11th time teams from the two conferences will play this season. Miami is 1-0 vs. SEC opposition (Florida). Overall, the SEC holds a 6-4 head-to-head advantage this season.
Ohio State is waiting in the wings
The winner between Miami and Texas A&M will advance to face No. 2 Ohio State on Wednesday, December 31 at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Ohio State (12-1) received an at-large bid after losing 13-10 to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game on Saturday.
Ohio State has been ranked No. 1 for the majority of the season and features wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, a potential Heisman candidate, on offense and safety Caleb Downs on defense. The Hurricanes last faced Ohio State in 2011, beating the Buckeyes 24-6 at home.