National outlets predict Miami Hurricanes to earn a bid for a bowl they have never played in before in latest projections
Miami could be headed west after their playoff hopes were severely crippled on Saturday.
The Miami Hurricanes’ 2025 season took a body blow on Saturday afternoon in Dallas, falling 26-20 in overtime to the SMU Mustangs. Once a mainstay inside of the projected College Football Playoff rankings in the first half of the season, the Canes will likely be well outside the initial rankings of the top 12, which will be released on Tuesday night.
The Hurricanes will have to win out to get to 10-2 to have a shot to back door their way into the field. But with the way they’re playing right now, that seems unlikely. The experts agree, as basically none have Miami in their projected fields any longer.
So, where could Miami find themselves if they ultimately miss the playoff? A bowl game they’ve never played in before. San Diego, California is a distinct possibility, according to ESPN (Mark Schlabach) and CBS Sports. Both have Miami heading out west to play in the Holiday Bowl.
ESPN and CBS Sports both project Miami Hurricanes to play in Holiday Bowl
Schlabach projects the Hurricanes to face Washington in San Diego. The Hurricanes and Huskies last played in 2001 in the Orange Bowl, where Miami delivered an all-time 65-7 beating on Washington on the way to the school’s last national championship. This season, the Huskies sit at 6-2 and are ranked #24 in the latest AP Poll.
CBS Sports has Miami facing Utah in San Diego. The Utes are playing terrific football right now, so that’s not a team Canes fans should be particularly excited to see the Hurricanes play. Utah is coming off a convincing home win over Cincinnati and remain firmly in the Big 12 race as the season’s final weeks approach.
With the way Miami’s bowl games have gone over the last 20 years – the Hurricanes have one bowl win since 2006, the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl over West Virginia – it’s hard to see Miami being up for another mid-tier bowl after another College Football Playoff whiff. But for Miami fans on the West Coast at least hoping to see their team play, they could be in luck.
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