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.
Live16 updatesSat, December 20, 2025 at 9:00 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 9:43 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Canes were able to get a first down after the turnover but that’s it. The Aggies’ defense is showing up early in this one.
A&M has it back after another punt.
Nick Bromberg
We saw how big of a role turnovers played for Oklahoma in its loss to Alabama. Can Miami capitalize like the Crimson Tide did? A&M is minus-8 in turnover margin this year.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 9:37 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Canes put pressure on Marcel Reed while he was scrambling and Keionte Scott was able to strip him before he threw it.
Miami fell on the ball so they’ll have it back in their own territory. That’s a big defensive play by Scott and the Canes.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 9:34 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Aggies are over midfield again with a couple first down throws by Marcel Reed. They’re on the edge of field goal range.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 9:30 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Canes couldn’t do much on their first possession and will give it right back to the Aggies.
A&M will have it at its own 38.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 9:23 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Aggies’ first possession fizzles out just outside of scoring range and they punt it.
Miami will take over at its own 8.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 9:17 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The Aggies are over midfield after three consecutive third-down conversions. Marcel Reed is scrambling a lot early, but it’s working for A&M.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 9:11 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
We are underway in College Station!
Texas A&M will start the game with the ball. Miami won the coin toss and deferred.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 8:53 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
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?
Read a full breakdown on the game in College Station from Nick Bromberg right here.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 8:46 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
The College Football Playoff is finally here.
The most controversial decision the CFP committee made was placing three-loss Alabama and two-loss Miami into the field and leaving Notre Dame out. The Tide showed their inclusion was justified on Friday night. Will Miami move on to the quarterfinals as well?
Our team of college football experts breaks it all down with their picks for every playoff game.
Click the photo to read more. (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 8:37 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
It’s a jam-packed weekend of football at the professional and college ranks. The NFL spreads its tentacles to Saturday and the College Football Playoff continues with three games.
As the NFL and college football seasons enter the home stretch, and we get ever closer to the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, let’s take a look at the top prospects to watch during the first round of the playoff.
Read more from Nate Tice right here.
Click the photo above to read the story. (Jonathan Castro/Yahoo Sports)
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 8:24 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Our college football handicapping trio of Corbie Craig, Ed Feng and Matt Russell provide a best bet on Saturday’s three CFP games below.
Check them all out right here, including the best play for the first game between Miami and Texas A&M.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 8:11 AM PST
Ross Dellenger
Down 17-0 on the road in a hostile environment of a first-round College Football Playoff game, its season on the line, perhaps even its head coach’s future in doubt, Alabama survived.
Hard to kill? That’s the 2025 Alabama Crimson Tide — winners over Oklahoma on Friday night, 34-24, in a somewhat-unprecedented comeback for the storied history of this famed football program.
So many times throughout this season, we thought they were dead. Cooked. Fried. Done.
But they just don’t go away.
Read more from Ross Dellenger right here.
Click the photo above to read the story. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
(Brian Bahr via Getty Images)Sat, December 20, 2025 at 7:58 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
We still have about an hour before the game kicks off, so here’s some reading material while we wait.
Sat, December 20, 2025 at 7:58 AM PST
Yahoo Sports Staff
Good morning folks and welcome to our live tracker for the College Football Playoff first round game between Miami and Texas A&M!