Who will Miami play next? Explaining the 2026 CFP bracket opponent for semifinals
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Who will Miami play next? Explaining the 2026 CFP bracket opponent for semifinals originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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No. 10 Miami was the last team in the College Football Playoff field, but the Hurricanes are still alive after upsetting No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl 24-14 on Friday night.
Miami's defense stifled the Buckeyes, shutting out Ohio State in the first half and putting them in a 14-0 hole, in large part thanks to a pick-6. While Ohio State was able to find some traction in the second half, Miami bled the clock enough and kept the ball away from the Buckeyes' offense.
This marks Miami's second CFP win, both of this tournament and overall, and is the biggest program win since the 2001 national championship victory over Nebraska. The Hurricanes were the lowest seed to advance in this tournament, but have now produced two upsets in the first two rounds.
Moving forward, Miami will have to continue to play the underdog card to keep the momentum going. Despite being the lone ACC team in the CFP, Miami has proven it belongs and more with its performance thus far.
Here's more on who Miami gets next, and the stakes of a potential semifinal showdown in Arizona.
MORE: Picks for the 2025 College Football Playoff quarterfinals
College Football Playoff bracket 2026
MORE: Ranking the eight remaining CFP teams
Who will Miami play next?
Miami has punched their ticket to the CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. That highly anticipated game will be a battle against one of the SEC's elite programs, specifically the winner of the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal.
The next opponent for the Hurricanes will be either the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs or the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels. Georgia, the reigning SEC champion, enters the Sugar Bowl with a 12-1 record, anchored by a dominant defense that recently shut down Alabama to secure their conference title. Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs are seeking their third national championship in five seasons.
The team standing in their way is the 12-1 Ole Miss Rebels, who enter the quarterfinal riding high after routing Tulane in the first round of the playoff. The Rebels, now under the direction of Coach Pete Golding, are looking for redemption in this SEC rematch; their only loss of the season came in a high-scoring 43-35 affair against Georgia back in October.
Whichever team emerges from the Sugar Bowl will carry a massive wave of momentum into the Fiesta Bowl semifinal against Miami.
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College Football Playoff schedule 2026
Dec. 19
| Game | Matchup |
| First-Round CFP game | Alabama 34, Oklahoma 24 |
Dec. 20
| Game | Matchup |
| First-Round CFP game | Miami 10, Texas A&M 3 |
| First-Round CFP game | Ole Miss 41, Tulane 10 |
| First-Round CFP game | Oregon 51, James Madison 34 |
Dec. 31
| Game | Matchup |
| Cotton Bowl Classic (quarterfinal) | Miami 24, Ohio State 14 |
Jan. 1
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
| Capital One Orange Bowl (quarterfinal) | Oregon vs. Texas Tech | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| Rose Bowl Game (quarterfinal) | Alabama vs. Indiana vs | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Allstate Sugar Bowl (quarterfinal) | Ole Miss vs. Georgia | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
Jan. 8
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
| Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (semifinal) | TBD | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Jan. 9
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
| Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (semifinal) | TBD | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Jan. 19
| Game | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV |
| CFP National championship | TBD | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
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