Miami and Texas A&M are making their first College Football Playoff appearances.

Can the Hurricanes pull the upset after sneaking into the field, or will Texas A&M set up a quasi-home-game quarterfinal matchup with Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl?

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The Hurricanes leapfrogged Notre Dame in the final rankings to make the playoff. Maybe you’ve read about it. The Aggies, meanwhile, had designs on a first-round bye before a late-season loss to bitter rival Texas.

The defenses are strikingly similar against the pass. Opponents have completed less than 60% of their passes for fewer than 200 yards per game against both A&M and Miami. But Miami has held opponents to fewer than five yards a carry and forces nearly two turnovers per game. A&M has forced just nine turnovers all season.

Will turnovers be the difference? And can Miami’s Mark Fletcher Jr. open up space for Carson Beck to operate through the air? Beck had two really ugly games in 2025, and both of those games resulted in Miami losses.

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A&M QB Marcel Reed was perhaps the most surprising player to miss out on the top 10 of the Heisman voting after his successful season. Reed isn’t the passer Beck is — he’s completed just 62% of his passes — but he’s rushed for 466 yards and six scores while also throwing 25 touchdowns.

Follow along below as the Yahoo Sports crew breaks down all of the action. Here’s how to watch Miami vs. Texas A&M and the rest of the College Football Playoff games.

Coming soon

Sat, December 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM UTC

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