Photo courtesy: Miami Athletics
The bracket for the 2025/26 College Football Playoff has been revealed, and five Canadians will have a shot at winning an NCAA national championship.
The biggest star from north of the border competing is defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor of the University of Miami. The redshirt senior from Ottawa, Ont., has been a force to be reckoned with off the edge for the Hurricanes, recording 46 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and four forced fumbles in 11 games to be named first-team All-ACC.
The six-foot-three, 265-pound pass rusher began his collegiate career at West Virginia in 2020, before transferring to Miami in 2022. In 61 collegiate games between the two programs, he has collected 191 total tackles, 47 tackles for loss, 30 sacks, five forced fumbles, and four batted passes. He is expected to be selected highly in the 2026 NFL Draft and was ranked as the 18th overall prospect and second-best edge rusher behind teammate Rueben Bain Jr. on Mel Kiper’s latest big board for ESPN.
Miami snuck into the playoffs with a 10-2 record after being outside the committee’s rankings last week. They are the 10th seed and will face seventh-seeded Texas A&M on Saturday, December 20, at 12:00 p.m. EST. The Hurricanes have a second Canadian player on their roster, sophomore offensive lineman Nino Francavilla from Toronto, Ont., who has dressed for two games and played two snaps as part of the field goal unit.
The University of Alabama claimed the ninth seed despite losing the SEC Championship to Georgia. Sophomore defensive lineman Steve Bolo Mboumoua from Saint Augustin de Desmaures, Que., has played in three games for the Crimson Tide during their run, taking 24 snaps on defence. He’ll take on eighth-seeded Oklahoma on Friday, December 19, at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Moving up the bracket, the University of Mississippi was awarded the sixth seed despite the recent high-profile departure of their head coach, Lane Kiffin. Freshman running back Shekai Mills-Knight from Montreal, Que., appeared in three games for the Rebels, rushing eight times for 25 yards. Ole Miss will face 11th-seeded Tulane on Saturday, December 20, at 3:30 p.m. EST.
Ohio State University finished with the second seed after losing to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship and will be on a bye in the first round. Redshirt freshman tight end Maxence LeBlanc from St-Bruno, Que., is a member of the squad, but has not played a snap this season. The Buckeyes will attempt to defend their national title from last season beginning in the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday, December 31, at 7:30 p.m. EST.
Other schools that made the College Football Playoff without Canadian connections include James Madison, Oregon, Texas Tech, Indiana, and Georgia.
Just 10 Canadians have won an NCAA national title since the introduction of a definitive college football championship game at the FBS level in 1998. LeBlanc and punter Anthony Venneri accomplished the feat with Ohio State last season, though neither played a game. Defensive lineman Alessandro Lorenzetti won with Michigan in 2024, and receiver John Metchie III helped Alabama to victory in 2020.
Before Metchie, no Canadian had won since LSU offensive lineman Peter Dyakowski in 2003. He capped a three-year run of Canadians hoisting the BCS National Championship trophy, following Ohio State cornerback Mike Roberts in 2002. Four players from north of the border were part of the legendary 2001 Miami Hurricanes squad, including offensive linemen Sherko Haji-Rasouli, Joe McGrath, and Brett Romberg, as well as defensive lineman Miguel Robede.