The Miami Hurricanes will face the Indiana Hoosiers at the Hard Rock Stadium in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on January 19th, 2026 on 7:30pm on ESPN. The Hurricanes got here
as an at-large bid after the ACC tie-breaker disaster put Duke into the ACC Championship Game over Miami, and the Blue Devils went ahead and knocked off UVA for the ACC Championship.
In a twist of fate, that put Miami in as an at-large with JMU in as the 5th conference champion. The committee decided to put Miami in and snub Notre Dame and let Alabama into the CFB Playoff. The Crimson Tide were annihilated by the Indiana Hoosiers and here we are.
But the topic today is the Orange Bowl Classic, which yes, was played in the actual Orange Bowl Stadium. The Orange Bowl’s final game was in 2007, a 48-0 ass kicking by UVA over the ‘Canes. The stadium was demolished in early 2008 to make room for the Marlins new retractable roof stadium.
The original Orange Bowl was the host of Super Bowls, National Championships, and 58 straight home wins for the Miami Hurricanes. Miami has played in a number of Orange Bowl games dating back to a loss to Bucknell in 1935. I’m aware that the Orange Bowl was already played, but this is THE ORANGE BOWL GAME the way it used to be played- with everything on the line.
Let’s flashback to 1984 in Miami as the Hurricanes were playing in The Orange Bowl Classic against the no.1 team in the nation, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
1984 vs. Nebraska
The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers were considered the greatest team in college football history heading into their January 1st showdown with the no. 4/5 Miami Hurricanes. The Huskers were the clear no.1 in the country and led by Heisman Trophy winning RB Mike Rozier and QB Turner Gill. The Huskers were an 11 point favorite under Tom Osborne against Howard Schnellenberger’s ‘Canes.
At that time Osborne had won five Big Eight titles but had never won a national championship as the Nebraska head coach. The only two programs to give Osborne’s Huskers fits were Jimmy Johnson’s Oklahoma State Cowboys and Barry Switzer’s Oklahoma Sooners. Miami had defeated Notre Dame and West Virginia while losing to Florida. OU had beaten only one ranked team, Penn State.
Miami got up 17-0 in the first quarter on two Bernier Kosar to Glenn Dennison TD passes, a blocked field goal and an interception by Jack Fernandez. Osborne then relied on gimmicks to get back in, which are both now illegal, in a jersey switch to create a pick and the fumblerooksi.
Miami then scored two touchdowns on 70+ yards drives to take a 31-17 lead. The Huskers had a comeback of their own, without Rozier, when backup RB Jeff Smith scored to push the game to 31-24. Later in the game on 4th down Nebraska scored on a TD pass from Gill to Smith setting up The Decision. Osborne had always said he would go for two to win vs. tie and he did.
Miami DB Kenny Calhoun got a finger tip on the Gill pass, it fell incomplete and Miami won 31-30. The ’84 Orange Bowl is considered one of the greatest national championship games of all-time, up there with Texas vs. USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
The Hurricanes sent Eddie Brown, Alonzo Highsmith, Kosar, Vinny Testaverde, Kevin Fagan and Jerome Brown amongst others to the NFL. Nebraska sent Irving Fryar, Rozier, and others to the league as well.
1988 vs. Oklahoma
The Miami Hurricanes and Oklahoma Sooners came into the 1988 Orange Bowl Classic with matching 11-0 records. Miami had knocked off OU in the 1985 and 1986 regular seasons. OU had lost only two games in two seasons, both to Miami’s Jimmy Johnson. Switzer was 6-2 in the Orange Bowl heading into the 1988 edition.
Miami had knocked off Florida, Arkansas, FSU, Notre Dame and South Carolina to get to 11-0. OU had defeated only Oklahoma State and no.1 Nebraska.
This was a ‘game of the century’ billing between the no.2 Hurricanes and no.1 Sooners. OU was a three point favorite over Miami, even with the ‘Canes at home. While the final score was just 20-14 in favor of the ‘Canes, Miami held a 17-7 lead heading into the 4th quarter and finished OU off with smothering defense.
Miami had ‘broken the bone’ (all pun intended, sorry Troy Aikman) in the past dominating option offenses, especially Oklahoma’s Wishbone. Miami and Walsh got going with a TD to Melvin Bratton before OU equaled the game up with short TD run. Tied 7-7; Greg Cox hit a 56-yard FG before kickers were cool, and Walsh then dropped a dime to Michael Irvin for a 17-7 lead.
In the 4th quarter, Cox made a 48-yard FG to extend the lead to 20-7 before a late OU touchdown run made the score look closer than it truly was.
The MVP for Orange Bowl was Miami LB Bernard “Tiger” Clark. A backup at the time, Clark was thrust into starting MLB duty when George Mira Jr. was suspended from the OB. Clark logged 12 solo tackles on 14 total in the first start of his career.
Oklahoma had guys like 1st round picks Keith Jackson and Rickey Dixson, but also pesky option QB Jamelle Holieway on the roster as well as Tony Casillas, Dante Jones, and Mark Hutson. Miami had an insane number of NFL players on the roster including Irvin, Bennie and Brian Blades, Warren Williams, Cleveland Gary, Brett Perriman, Mike Sullivan, Steve Walsh, Bubba McDowell, Randy Shannon, and Danny Stubbs.
1992 vs. Nebraska
The ‘Canes were on a four game heater in postseason play entering the 1992 Orange Bowl against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Miami had won the Orange Bowl Classic in ‘84, ‘88, and ‘89 heading into the ‘92 edition of the game. Miami had defeated Oklahoma, Nebraska, Alabama, and Texas over that four game stretch.
The no.1/2 ‘91 Hurricanes squad entered the OB game 11-0 while no.6 Nebraska had a record of 9-1-1. Miami had defeated Houston, Penn State and FSU to get here, while NU had lost to Washington, tied Colorado, and knocked off Arizona State and Oklahoma.
Miami was a 10 point favorite heading into kickoff. Both squads were loaded with future pro talent with Miami’s roster having Gino Torretta, Lamar Thomas, Horace Copeland, Kevin Williams, Leon Searcy, Jessie Armstead, Michael Barrow, Darrin Smith, Darryl Williams, and Ryan McNeil. Miami’s roster also featured Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and current head coach Mario Cristobal; not to mention a future star in Warren Sapp. The Huskers had future pros in Cory Schlesinger, Derek Brown, Zach Wiegert, Brenden Stai, Will Shields, Trev Alberts and Johnny Mitchell.
Miami took a quick 13-0 halftime lead over the Huskers on a Torretta to Williams TD pass and a pair of 24-yard field goals from Carlos Huerta. With both teams struggling on offense in the 2nd quarter, Miami pounded the rock with backup RB Larry Jones, who had to take over as the starter, to go up 19-0.
Huerta hit on a 54-yard field goal to put Miami up 22-0 before both teams were shut out in the final quarter. Miami won their 4th national title with their 3rd head coach, this being the second ring for Dennis Erickson.
Miami turned the ball over on two Torretta interceptions while putting up 439 yards of offense which held Miami back from scoring even more. Nebraska had only 171 total yards with four turnovers (two INT’s, two fumbles). Jones rushed for 144 yards and one TD as the MVP of the game. Washington and Miami split the national championship after the Huskies beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl to move to 12-0.
1995 vs. Nebraska
Miami was coming upon their 5th Orange Bowl in a a dozen years with this being the 4th for the National Championship. Miami was 10-1 with their lone loss coming to the Washington Huskies who snapped Miami’s 58-game home winning streak. Miami beat FSU, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Boston College to get to no.3 in the nation.
Nebraska was 12-0 but without QB Tommie Frazier for the 2nd half of the season with a blood clot in his leg. NU beat West Virginia, UCLA, Kansas State, and Colorado to enter the game at no.1 in the country. This was a star studded game and the Huskers roster the following year, the 1995 season, is considered the second greatest of all-time after the 2001 Hurricanes.
Dennis Erickson was facing off against Tom Osborne for the third time, all three coming in the Orange Bowl in major bowl games. Erickson was 2-0 against the Huskers heading into the ‘95 OB Classic. Miami started off hot with a 10-0 lead on a Dane Prewitt 44-yard FG and a Frank Costa to Trent Jones 35-yard TD pass.
NU’s Mark Gilman caught a 19-yard TD pass from the Huskers Brook Berringer, who had to relieve Frazier after a rusty start. Costa hit slot WR Jonathan Harris on screen for 44-yards and a touchdown to push the ‘Canes lead to 17-7.
Then the wheels came off. Miami was lacking in depth on the OL and DL and Warren Sapp going 100% every snap caught up to him. First, Nebraska sacked Costa in the end zone for a safety. The score moved to 17-9 and NU got the ball. With Frazier back in, the QB gave the ball to Schlesinger on a trap play for a 15-yard TD. Frazier converted the 2-point play on a pass to tie the game at 17-17.
With the game on the line Frazier handed to Schlesinger on another trap play and the FB went 14-yards for the go-ahead TD. Nebraska led 24-17 and ended the Hurricanes chances at a 5th national title since 1983. Miami was flagged for 72 more penalty yards than the Huskers, both teams turned the ball over twice, and eventually the Huskers extra possession on the safety proved too much.
This was Dennis Erickson’s final game in Coral Gables as he headed off to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. Erickson lasted four seasons in Seattle with three 8-8 records and one 7-9 season. Erickson hit the spotlight again in 2000 as the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers who dominated Notre Dame 41-9 in the Fiesta Bowl with Chad Johnson at WR.
This was the first of Osborne’s three national championships in four seasons. Nebraska would repeat in 1995 with a dominant win over the Florida Gators in the Fiesta Bowl and a split-natty with Michigan in 1997.
NU’s pros were Michael Booker, Chris Dishman, Aaron Graham, Mike Minter, Lawrence Phillips, Christian and Jason Peter, Cory Schlesinger, Brenden Stai, Zach Wiegert, Grant Winstrom and Tyrone Williams. NU punter Darin Erstad played 14 years in the MLB. Miami’s roster had future pros in NFL Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Warren Sapp; as well as pros in James Stewart, Chris T Jones, Jammi German, Yatil Green, Kenny Holmes, Kenard Lang, CJ Richardson, Pat Riley and one of my all-time favorite ‘Canes in Tremaine Mack.
The Wrap
Including the 1995 edition, Miami is 1-2 in Orange Bowl games since the National Championship Game in 1992. Miami did beat FSU in a rematch in 2004, but lost to Wisconsin in 2017 to end the ‘17 season with three straight losses under Mark Richt.
Miami ended the Fiesta Bowl curse against Ole Miss, and could look to knock some rust off the Orange Bowl in 2026. Miami is the first ‘home game’ for the CFB National Championship in the playoff era.
Mario Cristobal understands the importance of this game. While Cristobal was at Miami as a player, the ‘Canes were playing in the national championship seven times from 1983-1992. He knows that while Miami played in major bowl games after the 2000-2003 seasons it’s been 20 years since the ‘Canes were truly relevant.
He also knows Miami may not return to the national title again next season after seeing OSU lose to Miami and Notre Dame get snubbed out of the playoff. It’s do or don’t time in Coral Gables and at Hard Rock Stadium against Cignetti’s Hoosiers.
