Semifinal Lessons Set the Stage for the Title Game

The College Football Playoff semifinals offered a revealing look at two programs on converging paths toward the national championship, one powered by resilience and late-game resolve, the other by season-long dominance that has bordered on overwhelming. For Miami Hurricanes, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl served as both vindication and warning. Quarterback Carson Beck, long a lightning rod for criticism over the past two seasons, delivered the defining performance of his career when Miami needed it most. Amid doubts about whether the Hurricanes were winning because of him or in spite of him, Beck answered decisively. Facing Ole Miss,...