CORAL GABLES, Fla. – When Mario Cristobal returned home to coach his alma mater, he made it clear from the start: he was going to do everything in his power to help Miami return to not only its rightful place among college football’s elite, but to championship form.

The Hurricanes are still working toward both of those goals, but they took another step forward in that process on Sunday when they earned their first-ever berth in the College Football Playoff.

Miami is set to head to College Station to face Texas A&M on Dec. 20 in a CFP first-round matchup that has the Hurricanes seeded 10^th and the Aggies seeded seventh.

The Hurricanes’ playoff selection comes after weeks of intense debate about the 12-team field – and on the heels of a remarkably strong close to the regular season by Miami.

Over the course of their last four games, the Hurricanes outscored their opponents, 151-41. They finished the year second in the ACC in scoring offense with 34.1 points per game, while leading the league in scoring defense after allowing just 13.8 points per game.

Nineteen Hurricanes earned spots on the All-ACC team, with defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney earning recognition as both the conference’s Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year. Offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa, meanwhile, was the recipient of the ACC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy, which is presented annually to the conference’s top blocker.

Still, with all of Miami’s success – and a head-to-head win over Notre Dame, which was also in contention for one of the at-large berths in the playoff field – there was uncertainty about whether the Hurricanes would be selected.

So, when Miami’s name popped up on the screen, there was plenty of excitement in Coral Gables, where Cristobal and his staff celebrated ever so briefly before quickly diving into preparation for their showdown with the Aggies (11-1).

“I mean, I’ve got to be honest. I still felt confident. Then, of course, you have anxiety. No one can sit here and lie and say you weren’t nervous because when it’s not completely in your hands, those feelings come in a little bit. They creep in,” Cristobal said. “But when that thing popped on the screen, it was, I don’t know, like an explosion of gratitude. I don’t know if that makes sense. It hits you. Man, another monster step for us; another significant step for us and it’s real.

“To see the Miami logo, the U beside the CFP logo, that hit strong. We had about, I don’t know, three minutes of some high-fives and really just strong energy and juice and then right to film work for the opponent. It’s awesome, man. It’s awesome. Always envisioned this opportunity for Miami. That’s why we got on the plane and came all the way across the country to be back here as part of it and to see that next step in the process become a reality is an unbelievable feeling, indescribable feeling. Now, it’s time to get to work.”

For the Hurricanes (10-2), part of that work now involves preparing for a Texas A&M team that opened the year with 11 wins before losing its regular-season finale against Texas, 27-17.

Both Miami and Texas A&M shared a pair of common opponents in Notre Dame and Florida. The Hurricanes beat Notre Dame, 27-24, while the Aggies edged the Irish, 41-40. Miami also earned a 26-7 win over the Gators, while A&M bested Florida, 34-17.

Texas A&M, which posted a 7-1 mark in SEC play, enters the matchup averaging 36.3 points per game, which ranks 14^th nationally, while its defense is allowing an average of 21.9 points per game. And it has totaled more sacks (41) than any other team in the country.

Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed is also a Manning Award finalist after totaling 2,932 passing yards with 25 touchdowns, while rushing for an additional 466 yards and six scores.

Cristobal expects that all of that – combined with head coach Mike Elko’s previous experience as the head coach at Duke, where his Blue Devils faced the Hurricanes in 2022 – will make Texas A&M a formidable foe.

“Big, strong, fast, explosive. You have elite playmakers in all phases from their quarterback, their wide receivers, their defensive fronts, most sacks in the country,” Cristobal said of the Aggies. “As explosive as you can get with a Heisman [Trophy candidate] quarterback. I think their trenches really stick out right away. I mean, again, just big and physical. I know their strength coaches really, really well. I know how they train those guys. Those guys are built to go deep into November, December, January and play at a high level. Just top to bottom, a team that just doesn’t have weaknesses and one that has been playing at a high level all year.”

And while the work of preparing for that looming matchup now begins in earnest, on Sunday, Cristobal couldn’t help but reflect on the progress his program has made in recent seasons.

He noted, too, Sunday’s CFP selection was no doubt especially meaningful to Miami’s veterans like Bain, Mauigoa, defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor, linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, quarterback Carson Beck and others who have been essential to helping the Hurricanes earn their first playoff berth.

“Again, coming back to Miami had nothing to do with a good contract or fame or fortune. It had everything to do with making sure the University of Miami made its way back to where it was, the top of the college football world,” Cristobal said. “So, the amount of work, the amount of people behind the work, the amount of hours, blood, sweat, tears from everybody, for them, this is awesome. This is 23 years of frustration. Now you have back-to-back 10-win seasons and the opportunity to go and compete and play for a national championship. So, I think for them, it’s awesome. … It’s validation, right? After all those hours and all that effort, you want validation that this is going in the right direction and that’s what it does. It validates progress. It doesn’t validate final goal achieved, but it validates significant, real-deal progress.

“So, all I can say is, for everyone involved, for everyone that’s part of the Miami Hurricane family … I feel awesome for them. I’m certainly grateful for their support. … There’s no need to motivate us to go to work for the University of Miami. We’re all about being a Miami Hurricane. It’s an incredible blessing and I can’t wait to continue working our way towards more and more progress.”