Mario Cristobal will face the past in the state title game no matter what

The magical Miami Hurricanes College Football Playoff run continued with a beat Ole Miss in the semifinals on Thursday night. Miami (FL) Football advanced to the national championship game with a 31-27 victory in the Fiesta Bowl. The team is now one win away from winning its first national title since 2001.

10th ranked The Hurricanes made their CFP debut this season. And the team posted impressive wins over Texas A&M and reigning national champion Ohio State before knocking off Ole Miss. Now Miami moves on to the title game, playing the winner of the Peach Bowl between Indiana and Oregon.

Regardless of which team emerges victorious from Friday’s Big Ten battle, the head coach Mario Cristobal will have a relationship the Hurricanes’ next opponent, according to Matt Fortuna of The Inside Zone. If No. 5 Oregon wins in the CFP semifinals, Cristobal will face the school he coached from 2017-2021. If top-ranked Indiana advances, Cristobal will take on the son of his former high school teammate, Fernando Mendoza.

Mario Cristobal leads Miami past Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl

Cristobal helped revive the Hurricanes‘ football program since taking over as head coach in 2022. However, before joining Miami, he spent five years at Oregon. Cristobal was hired as the Ducks’ offensive line coach in 2017. He then became the interim head coach when Willie Taggart left the school.

Cristobal was quickly promoted to full-time head coach at Oregon. He went 35-13 with the Ducks, winning two of four bowl appearances. But he abruptly went from Oregon to Miami until the end of the 2021 season.

Cristobal is from Miami. He played for the Hurricanes from 1989 to 1992 and was part of two national championship teams. But before joining the Miami offense, Cristobal attended Christopher Columbus High School under Fernando Mendoza Sr.

Mendoza Sr.’s son also grew up in Miami and played high school football at Christopher Columbus. He then committed to the University of California. Mendoza Jr. spent three years at the school before transferring to Indiana. He was awarded the 2025 Heisman Trophy for the decision.

Cristobal’s Hurricanes have their quarterback transfer as Carson Beck left Georgia for Miami this season. The Canes will face either Indiana or Oregon for the national title on January 19 in Miami.