Dec. 15, 2025, 6:03 am ET
Fans of major college football teams might still be rankled that Tulane and James Madison will be playing as massive underdogs in the late portion of Saturday’s first-round College Football Playoff schedule. Lucky for them, the day will open with a highly anticipated Miami vs. Texas A&M clash.
The Hurricanes finally broke into the CFP bracket after being the first team out in 2024 (and looking that way for much of the lead-up to this year’s playoff). At 10-2, Mario Cristobal has put together the most complete UM team since its most recent national championship run in the early 2000s. Show-stopping freshman Malachi Toney highlights the nation’s No. 20 scoring offense, while potential No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Rueben Bain serves as the linchpin to a dominating defense that allows the sixth-fewest points in FBS.
They’ll head to College Station to face the legendary 12th Man and the 11-1 Aggies. In his second year since arriving from Duke, Mike Elko assembled an explosive offense built around Marcel Reed, who threw for 2,932 yards and ran for 466 more, putting up 31 total touchdowns. Texas A&M came a game away from making the SEC championship game and likely earning a first-round bye before losing at Texas to close the regular season.
Buy Miami vs. Texas A&M tickets
The winner plays defending champion Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve. Here’s our Miami vs. Texas A&M prediction, plus the game date, start time and how to watch on TV and streaming:
Miami vs. Texas A&M prediction
This could be the best Aggies team of all time, but they can’t be happy to have drawn in the Hurricanes in the first round. Texas A&M has blown out a lot of its opponents this year, but it hasn’t faced a defense like Miami’s. It did put up 41 in a win at Notre Dame, but it hasn’t played any of the SEC’s fiercest defenses (Oklahoma, Alabama and Georgia). The 12th Man gives the Aggies a huge home-field advantage, but it’s not insurmountable: Auburn nearly stole a win at Kyle Field in September, and South Carolina raced out to a 30-3 halftime lead before allowing an incredible comeback.
Safe to say, Miami is better than Auburn or South Carolina. It held high-powered offenses in Florida State and Pitt to 22 and 7 points, respectively, and Heisman finalist Jeremiyah Love ran for just 33 yards in Notre Dame’s season-opening loss. A&M’s defense is pretty good, but it gave up 40 in that Irish game mentioned above. It’s weaker against the run, too, and Mark Fletcher, Girard Pringle and a dash of Malachi Toney should be able to exploit that and keep the home crowd under control.
Miami vs. Texas A&M score prediction
Miami 23, Texas A&M 17
When does Miami play Texas A&M in College Football Playoff?
The Hurricanes will visit the Aggies on Dec. 20 at noon ET at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. The game will be on both ABC and ESPN with streaming options including Fubowhich offers a free trial for new subscribers.
Miami vs. Texas A&M tickets
You can find College Football Playoff tickets for Miami vs. Texas A&M on StubHub.
College Football Playoff bracket 2025-26 dates
First round
- Dec. 19: No. 9 Alabama vs. No. 8 Oklahoma | 8 p.m. ET | ABC, ESPN | Fubo (free trial)
- Dec. 20: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 7 Texas A&M | Noon ET | ABC, ESPN | Fubo (free trial)
- Dec. 20: No. 11 Tulane vs. No. 6 Ole Miss | 3:30 pm ET | TNT, truTV | Sling
- Dec. 20: No. 12 James Madison vs. No. 5 Oregon | 7:30 p.m. ET | TNT, truTV | Sling
Quarterfinals
- Dec. 31: Miami/TAMU vs. No. 2 Ohio State (Cotton Bowl) | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Fubo (free trial)
- Jan. 1: JMU/Oregon vs. No. 4 Texas Tech (Orange Bowl) | Noon ET | ESPN | Fubo (free trial)
- Jan. 1: Alabama/Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Indiana (Rose Bowl) | 4 p.m. ET | ESPN | Fubo (free trial)
- Jan. 1: Tulane/Ole Miss vs. No. 3 Georgia (Sugar Bowl) | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN | Fubo (free trial)
Semifinals
- Jan. 8: Cotton Bowl winner vs. Sugar Bowl winner (Fiesta Bowl) | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Fubo (free trial)
- Jan. 9: Orange Bowl winner vs. Rose Bowl winner (Peach Bowl) | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Fubo (free trial)
National championship
- Jan. 19: Fiesta Bowl winner vs. Peach Bowl winner | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN | Fubo (free trial)
