Miami is one win away from a chance to play for the national championship in its own home stadium. But, there's a second wrinkle that makes the can make the natty even juicier. If the Hurricanes beat Ole Miss and Oregon beats Indiana, the title game would set up a reunion: Mario Cristobal vs. the program he built in Eugene.
Biggest win-win coaching carousel in College Football history? pic.twitter.com/zxB6eCcTEj
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The Cristobal Bowl is a matchup fans want to see
Miami plays Ole Miss on Thursday in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal. Oregon plays Indiana on Friday in the Peach Bowl. The winners will then meet Monday, Jan. 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, which has been Miami's home field since 2008.
Cristobal coached Oregon from 2018-21 and went 35-13, winning Pac-12 titles in 2019 and 2020 and closing the 2019 season with a Rose Bowl win. He left Oregon in December 2021 to take the Miami job, returning to his alma mater and restarting the program he once played for.
If the Ducks and Hurricanes both win this week, Cristobal would walk into a national title game against the most relevant chapter of his coaching career, outside of Miami. It was the place where he proved he could recruit at an elite level and handle the pressure that comes with being expected to contend.
Oregon, of course, is not the same program Cristobal left behind. Dan Lanning is in his fourth season and has the Ducks one game away from its first national championship appearance since 2015. Oregon is 13-1 this year, with Lanning owning a 48-7 record at Oregon.
Now, the reunion is far from a guarantee. It's still two separate playoff games against two teams that have earned the right to be here. But as far as potential title-game storylines go, this one is sitting at the top.