The Miami Hurricanes were a two-score underdog to the Ohio State Buckeyes in their Cotton Bowl Classic matchup heading into it. They emerged as not only a 24-14 winner in a fairly one-sided game, but a team that is now seen as the second most likely to win the College Football Playoff National Championship.
As CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli noted, the seas have parted for the Canes after knocking off the Buckeyes and seeing the Georgia Bulldogs eliminated on their side of the bracket by the Ole Miss Rebels in the Sugar Bowl.
Fornelli predicted Miami to win the national championship by defeating the Indiana Hoosiers in the title game.
"I did not think Miami had a legit shot at a national title, even after beating Texas A&M, because the path felt unrealistic. Then the 'Canes beat Ohio State, and Georgia lost. Now the door looks open, and while Indiana took the belt to Alabama, its offensive line struggled a bit in pass protection -- much like it did against Ohio State. Well, Miami's pass rush is pretty good, and the defense as a whole is currently playing like the '85 Bears. Indiana has been the best team all season, but Miami feels like the best team right now," Fornelli wrote.
Beating the man (Ohio State) makes Miami 'The Man'
Everyone is aware of the Nature Boy Ric Flair's legendary saying: "To be the man, you gotta beat the man."
Well, the man, Ohio State, has been defeated, soundly, at that. That makes The U the new "Man."
While the Hoosiers knocked off the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game, that was by a field goal, and Ohio State's Jayden Fielding infamously missed the chance to tie the game late. What Miami did was far more definitive.
Clearly, it was definitive enough for there to be predictions of getting past Ole Miss and proving that they are the clear best team in the country against Indiana in the CFP final. Based on games against one major common opponent who was seen as the heavy favorite before the CFP began, The U, not IU, is "The Man."