GLENDALE, Ariz. — And wouldn’t you know it, as we reach the peak of madness in college football’s ever-evolving menagerie, the Miami Hurricanes have decided to reintroduce old school nostalgia.
Win a game at all costs.
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Take a deep breath, everyone, and soak in the brief respite of the nouveau riche. Cash is the king of the game, and Miami will take you on a nostalgic journey through the ages.
A person who almost died did not have a chance to have a happy ending.
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Carson Beck’s 3-yard touchdown run with 18 seconds left daggered the game-winner. There’s more to the story of Miami’s 31-27 Fiesta Bowl victory over Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
The entire evolution wasn’t complete until Miami knocked down Mississippi State quarterback Trinidad Chambliss’ final rush.
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After more than two decades away from the nation’s elite, Miami is finally back. Even if it nearly ruined the game in the process.
That was both because of Miami’s dominance and the Canes’ inability to finish the game and avoid disaster. But everything head coach Mario Cristobal has preached during his four seasons in Coral Gables, and everything he has delivered in this redemption season, shows up when it matters most.
Despite the mistakes, penalties, missed scoring opportunities and more, Miami has gotten to where August was meant to be: a return trip to South Florida for the national championship game.
The Canes did it the old-school way, lining up on both sides of the ball and physically punishing Ole Miss. At this point, who cares if they almost lost the game if they needed a 75-yard field goal to finish it off.
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Miami is back among the nation’s elite because Cristobal’s plan from day one worked. Even after screwing up almost everything in the biggest game of the season.
You remember the good old days, don’t you? When players don’t get paid (legally anyway), colleges hoard cash and there’s free movement of players from the starting lineup to the bench.
When Miami had the best players and coaches, they did whatever they wanted for two decades to rival anything the sport has ever seen. Until a man named Saban showed up.
But there’s a lot of Nick Saban on this Miami team, and many more players who made Miami great — and won five national championships between 1983 and 2001. Cristobal played at Miami under Jimmy Johnson and won a national championship, and coached at Alabama under Saban and won another.
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He’s now trying to get Miami finally back on top and potentially end a 25-year national championship drought. By taking the formula Johnson used and Saban perfected and imposing its will on anyone who stands in its way.
A formula so perfect that it even overcomes human error. A missed field goal, an interception at the Ole Miss 15, poor play calling, insisting on throwing the ball away when the running game couldn’t stop.
It wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter, with several key passes from Baker and a timely touchdown, that the Canes put the ball away. The devastating reaction ultimately ended “Miss Mississippi’s” magical journey at the CFP.
Bonus for old school kids: This happened on a day when former Mississippi State coach and current college football villain Lane Kiffin lost twice. At one point, his former team faced a physical Miami team, and earlier in the night, Washington quarterback Demond Williams decided to stay in Seattle rather than play for the highest bidder (see: LSU and Kiffin).
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Old students get one point.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X @MattHayesCFB.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami football will compete for CFP national title after Fiesta Bowl win over Ole Miss