Miami and Alabama kickstart College Football Playoffs with upset victories

After sneaking into the College Football Playoffs, the Miami Hurricanes are headed into the second round

After sneaking into the College Football Playoffs, the Miami Hurricanes are headed into the second round.

The No. 10 Hurricanes upset the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies 10-3 in their first-round matchup in College Station, Texas on Saturday.

Miami was on the outside looking in to the playoff until the final CFP rankings were revealed on Dec. 7. Now, the Hurricanes will play No. 2 Ohio State on New Year’s Eve in the quarterfinals.

Freshman cornerback Bryce Fitzgerald sealed the win for Miami, intercepting Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed in the end zone with 24 seconds left to prevent a game-tying touchdown. Hurricanes freshman receiver Malachi Toney scored the game’s lone touchdown on a short pass with under two minutes to go.

Miami joins the Alabama Crimson Tide as the second team to punch their ticket to the second round of the CFP, as the No. 9 Crimson Tide overcame a 17-0 deficit to upset the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners 34-24 on Friday.