Miami announced it will make history Monday night as the first team since 1998 to play for a national championship in its home stadium. The Hurricanes will face No. 1 Indiana at Hard Rock Stadium in the College Football Playoff title game.
But there’s a twist that makes this homecoming bittersweet.
Despite playing on their home turf, Miami enters as the designated road team. Indiana earned home team status by virtue of its No. 1 seed, while the Hurricanes are the No. 10 seed.
In nearly three decades of the modern championship era, no team has ever played for the national title in its own stadium. LSU and Georgia have competed for trophies in their home states, but Miami breaks new ground Monday night at the venue they’ve called home since 2008.
The Hurricanes will run out of the tunnel as guests in their own house.
How is the home team chosen at the national championship?
The higher-seeded team automatically gets home team designation in the national championship game. Since Indiana earned the No. 1 seed and Miami entered as the No. 10 seed, the Hoosiers were awarded home honors regardless of location.
The CFP operates as a neutral-site event, so the organization takes over the stadium. Miami loses its traditional home-field branding. The usual game-day traditions like the smoke entrance and stadium music get replaced by a standardized CFP script.
This ensures neither side has an unfair psychological edge.
As the home team, Indiana gets first choice of jersey colors and, more importantly, the primary sideline.
Does the home team matter in the National Championship?
Yes, even in a neutral site game, the home designation creates several advantages. Here’s how it breaks down for Indiana and Miami:
Uniform choice
The designated home team gets first choice of uniforms. Indiana can wear its traditional crimson home jerseys if it wants. If the Hoosiers choose crimson, Miami must wear white road jerseys.
The choice belongs to Indiana, not Miami, even in their own building. Expect the Hoosiers to go with classic red tops and white bottoms while the Hurricanes wear all-whites.
Coin toss
The visiting team gets to call the toss at the beginning and, if necessary, to start overtime. While a coin toss is 50/50, calling it gives a team control over their destiny.
They can decide whether to take the ball early or defer to the second half for a potential double score.
For a Miami team that thrives on early momentum and controlling possession, calling that toss in their home stadium could set the tone against favored Indiana.
Why is Miami playing in its home stadium?
The answer is timing and luck. Hard Rock Stadium was selected to host the 2026 national championship back in 2021, fresh off hosting the title game between Alabama and Ohio State.
The College Football Playoff committee couldn’t have predicted that Mario Cristobal, who was a month into his tenure as head coach, would lead Miami back to the final game.
Much like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 and the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, Miami benefited from coincidental rotation. After decades of the championship moving between cities like Indianapolis, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Houston, the cycle returned to South Florida just as “The U” returned to relevance.
The Hurricanes will try to capitalize on this rare opportunity Monday night, even if they’re technically the visitors.
