MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami is flying home from the Fiesta Bowl. This will be the Hurricanes’ last flight of the season.
They will be bused to the next game – the final game.
Miami will compete for the national championship at home for the fifth time. The first four games were played at the now-demolished Orange Bowl. The College Football Playoff Championship Game against either Oregon or Indiana on Jan. 19 will be played at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins and where the Hurricanes have played their home games since 2008.
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“We’re back at the Hard Rock Stadium,” quarterback Carson Baker said after scoring a touchdown with his legs instead of his arms in Miami’s 31-27 win over Mississippi in the Fiesta Bowl. “So, I think that’s what needs to be said.”
Miami has a 3-1 record in other home national championship games, but it’s worth noting that the Hurricanes haven’t gotten this far in the Bowl Championship Series and now the CFP era, when there is a designated “National Championship Game.”
“This team knows they are the team and now is the time,” coach Mario Cristobal said during the on-court celebration.
Other teams have won national championships close to home over the years. For example, USC won the national championship in the 1931 and 1932 seasons after winning the Rose Bowl (it wasn’t USC’s home field, but it wasn’t a long road trip for the Trojans either). This was all before the Associated Press began handing out national championship trophies for the 1936 season.
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In recent years, LSU won the BCS championship (but not the AP championship) during the 2003 season by winning the Sugar Bowl in nearby New Orleans (about 80 miles from Baton Rouge). LSU also won in New Orleans, securing national championships in the 2007 and 2019 seasons.
Still, being at or near home doesn’t guarantee a championship. Texas defeated USC in the Rose Bowl to win the 2005 national championship. Alabama faced what might have been considered road games in the 2011 and 2017 seasons and won both games, defeating LSU in New Orleans and Georgia in Atlanta to capture the national title.
Miami’s most recent home championship also ended in failure, when the Hurricanes lost 24-17 to Oklahoma in the 1994 season.
Here’s a look at Miami’s performance in previous home championship games.
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1983 season: Miami 31, Nebraska 30
The Hurricanes led 17-0 against the top-ranked, undefeated and heavily favored Cornhuskers, who tied it 31-30 with 48 seconds left. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne decided to try for a two-point conversion instead of tying the game; the pass was incomplete and Miami topped the AP poll. “We’re No. 1,” Hurricanes coach Howard Schnellenberger said. “Without a doubt.” He was right, and Miami won its first national championship.
1987 Season: Miami 20, Oklahoma 14
Oklahoma State is ranked first with an undefeated record, and Miami is ranked second with an undefeated record. The teams were tied 7-7 at halftime, but the Hurricanes scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to win their second national championship.
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1991 season: Miami 22, Nebraska 0
Miami won its fourth national championship and its third Orange Bowl, all without a doubt. The Hurricanes took a 13-0 lead after just 11 minutes of play, but the defense couldn’t get Nebraska down by double digits.
1994 season: Nebraska 24 points, Miami 17 points
In the final year of the short-lived bowl league era, the Hurricanes led 10-0 after the first quarter. But the Cornhuskers didn’t let it go, as Corey Schlesinger scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to give Nebraska the victory.