MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — With the College Football Playoff coming to South Florida in January 2026, Miami Hurricanes fans are hoping their team can earn a spot in the game and compete for a championship in their own backyard.
Local 10 News on Wednesday spoke with Rich Clark, executive director of the College Football Playoff, as preparations get underway.
The 2026 Capital One Orange Bowl (Jan. 1, 2026) and CFP National Championship Game (Jan. 19, 2026) are both set to be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Right now, the Hurricanes remain on the outside looking in as the message to Canes fans comes down to one word: patience.
“The decision is not made yet,” Clark said. “It’s not made until the final week of the season. All I can say is. The Canes have been playing some really great football and they just need to keep on playing.”
Fans have taken notice of the rankings — Miami is 13th, while Notre Dame, a team the Hurricanes beat in the season opener, sits at No. 9.
“Well, we look at the whole body of work, a whole season of what a team has done in their entire performance, and then we bring it together and sometimes you have teams that are really close,” Clark explained. “We call them comparable in their performance. And in that case, if you have two teams. That are really comparable and they had a head to head, that head to head really does matter.”
Inside the Hurricanes’ locker room, the focus remains squarely on what’s next: Virginia Tech.
“We don’t worry about that. We control what we can control,” said Hurricanes safety Jakobe Thomas. “We just want to know every week, we’re trying to be the best version of ourselves each and every week, and when that time comes, that time comes, and it’ll handle itself then. But right now we’re just focused on Virginia Tech.”
Thomas spent the 2024 season with the Tennessee Volunteers before entering the transfer portal and landing at Miami.
He has emerged as one of the Hurricanes’ top defensive playmakers, a role highlighted by his two-interception performance — including a pick-six — in last Saturday’s regular-season home finale, a 41-7 rout of NC State.
Thomas has also been one of college football’s most productive players at the safety position. He has 43 tackles, four interceptions, three sacks and two forced fumbles this season.
Miami (8-2, 4-2 ACC) travels to Lane Stadium to face Virginia Tech (3-7, 2- 4 ACC) on Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon.
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