Commentary: Miami's return highlights refreshing slate of CFP semifinals

On the eve of this week's College Football Playoff semifinal games, it's time to celebrate this sport and its final four for what it is and, as much, for what it isn't. It is different — doors flung open and gusts of fresh air blasting through the dank old cathedral. The old guard is vanquished, and what's new is in charge now. The Miami Hurricanes vs. Ole Miss on Thursday in Glendale, Ariz., and Indiana vs. Oregon on Friday in Atlanta is a mirror for the fast-changing sport, one now ruled by NIL money and the forever-flooded transfer portal. This quartet still alive for the national championship is today and tomorrow in college football. Yesterday, at least for now, is the old-guard likes of Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama, all eliminated in the CFP quarterfinals. Oklahoma? Out in the first round. Other recent national champs like Michigan, Clemson and LSU weren't even invited to the playoff party this time. So, of course, was Notre Dame left out — the Fighting Irish forever feeling entitled despite not having won anything since '88. (At least it was 1988.) The CFP selection committee gets plenty wrong but should be high-fiving itself for ultimately picking coach Mario Cristobal's Miami over Notre Dame, somehow seen by some as controversial despite the plain logic of the Canes having beaten the Irish this season as an obvious tiebreaker. True to form Notre Dame pouted, took its ball home and declined to play in any ordinary, sub-playoff bowl game. Meanwhile, Miami completely shut down Texas A&M 10-3 in the first round and then bounced No. 2 seed Ohio State 24-14 in the quarterfinals. The Canes, an underdog in both games, now are a small 3½-point favorites to beat Ole Miss and reach the championship game Jan. 19 at home — at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. When I liken this final four as the new kids shoving side the Grandpas and Dads of college football's old guard, here's what I mean: Miami is by far the most recent national champion of the four teams left, having won its fifth crown in 2001. That seems like an eternity ago to Cane babies born that year and perhaps now parents themselves, but appreciate what you have with perspective and in context. Ole Miss claims three national titles, from 1959, '60 and '62, but only the middle one is at least recognized as a co-championship with Minnesota. The other two "championships" must have been awarded by the AFNTC (Acme Fly by Night Title Company). Oregon, though it has been competitive lately and reached championships in both the BCS and CFP eras, has never won a national championship and, to its credit, has never laid meritless claims to any. Indiana also has never won a national football title or even claimed one and is the Cinderella of this final four (though Ole Miss would have a case). Other than Duke, what college do you think of more as first a "basketball school"? Until this year, the Hoosiers had not won a Big Ten title since 1967. Looking parochially at this final four through the prism of Miami, I cannot imagine any team is hungrier for a national championship even though UM's five is four more than the other three schools combined. Miami has the incentive of playing for the championship in its own home stadium — the winning recipe in three of the five previous titles. But it goes beyond that. Gets deeper. More personal. Consider who the Canes will be facing if they reach the final game: It will be No. 1-ranked and lone unbeaten Indiana led by a Miami kid in Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Columbus High. Or it will be Oregon — the school Cristobal left four years ago to return to his alma mater and accomplish the one goal he is now two victories from attaining. Cristobal came home to make The U champions again, and had to rebuild a program that had fallen to disrepair. His records have been 5-7 then 7-6 then 10-3 and now 12-2 and in the final four. The progress has been relentless. He rebuilt his Hurricanes ground-up with emphasis on the offensive and defensive lines. His guys are physical. They play "violent" (his word). He likes a ground game first, yet last year recruited a quarterback from the portal (Cam Ward) who broke UM passing records. This year he scored the top-rated portal quarterback again in Carson Beck. The aura and buzz of a reprise of glory days is all around the program now. The old, loving ghosts are drawn to it. Why Michael Irvin is a de facto sideline cheerleader. Why Ray Lewis, Edgerrin James, champion coach Jimmy Johnson and others were there for the watershed win against Ohio State. For close to 25 years I have been asked and Hurricanes fans have wondered: "Is The U back?" It's an amorphous question. What does "back" really mean? You define it and answer it your way. My answer: I say yes, The U is back, and that Cristobal has set the path, championed the progress and done the heavy lifting on that. But I also know he is two more wins from removing any and all doubt about that answer.