Miami and the Hurricanes Play for a National Championship Under a National Spotlight
Miami and the Hurricanes Play for a National Championship Under a National Spotlight
By Nick Gandy
Let’s play us a football game, Florida style.
Every day is gameday in Florida. Tonight, the eyes of the College Football World will be on Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens.
It won’t be the first time the eyes of football fans will be trained on Miami. Florida’s tropical hub of sports is nestled in the furthest southeast corner of the United States and has been there many times over.
It all began with Super Bowl II, on January 14, 1968, when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Oakland Raiders, 33-14. It was the last game for Vince Lombardi with the Packers after winning 5 NFL championships, and 2 Super Bowls.
Now, just a little more than a week past 59 years ago, the sidelines will be occupied by one of Hard Rock Stadium’s home teams, the Miami Hurricanes. They are looking to add a sixth National Championship Trophy to their ever-expanding trophy case in Coral Gables.
Standing in their way is the storybook team of the 2025 season, the top-ranked, undefeated Indiana Hoosiers, who are in the midst of an historical season. The Hoosiers have not reached such heights in over 100 years of football. In fact, until the 2025 season, the Hoosiers’ 715 program losses were the most of any college football team. Their undefeated season allowed fellow Big 10 member Northwestern to top their previous mark.
While a win on Monday night would be the Hurricane’s sixth National Championship, four other Florida college football teams have earned the top spot over the years.
Besides the 11 Super Bowl’s played in Miami, the 2026 College Football Playoff Championship Game, played at Hard Rock Stadium, will be the 16th National Champion crowed since 1970 in the Southeast Florida hub or sports.
The State of Florida’s Championship lineage began in 1978, when the Florida A&M Rattlers won the NCAA Division 1-AA trophy defeating Massachusetts 35-28. The Rattlers, and head coach Rudy Hubbard, finished the season with a 12-1 record and Hubbard, who still resides in Tallahassee, will be enshrined in the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2026.
The Florida State Seminoles won their first of three National Championships in 1993, in Miami’s Orange Bowl, defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 18-16. The Seminoles added National Championships in 1999 and 2013.
The Florida Gators joined the club in 1996 and added two more in 2006 and 2008, with a 24-14 win over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
A couple of relative newcomers to the Florida college football scene brought home championships, as the West Florida Argonauts won the 2019 NCAA Division II Crown and the Keiser Seahawks, from West Palm Beach, won the 2022 NAIA National Championship. The Seahawks have been in the championship game three of the last four years.
But it’s more than Florida’s championship teams making their marks and bringing national publicity to the Sunshine State. College football contributes to the $146 billion in economic impact annually. Teams from 30 states came to Florida during the regular season for games against Florida teams.
The 2025-26 College Football Bowl Season brought 11 teams and their fans to Florida for football games.
And why not? During this weekend’s NFL playoff games, it was snowing at the Patriots/Texans game in Foxborough, MA. The gametime temperature for the Bills/Broncos game in Denver was 36 degrees. The temperature was not expected to surpass 20 degrees for the Rams/Bears game in Chicago.
Forecast gametime temperature in Miami Gardens? 61 degrees.
Let’s play us a football game, Florida style. No jacket required.
Nick Gandy is a 30-year sports communications professional who has worked with the Florida Sports Foundation, the state of Florida’s lead sports promotion and development organization, since 1998.