Season 22 Championship Storylines

By: Ryan Moreland (@ryanmoreland)

The National Championship is on the line tonight, but that isn’t the only thing these teams are playing for. Here are a few interesting storylines to keep in mind for the championship game.

Quick Hitters

No matter who wins, it will be the first National Championship win for either AD.
This is AD George Yost’s first trip to the National Championship Game. AD Kade Padgett made it to the Natty and lost last season.
If the Aggies win, it will be the first Championship in school history.
If Miami wins, it will be the second Championship in school history and the first since Season 9.
Miami is 1-1 in National Championship Games (Lost in Season 18 to Kentucky and Won in Season 9)
Texas A&M is 0-2 in National Championship Games (Lost in Seasons 21 and 10)

Coaching Tree Legacy

George Yost is a member of the Frosty Coaching Tree. Frosty’s Tree already boasts five National Championships, which is the most of any active coaching tree in the league. If they win another they will have twice as many Nattys as Clutch’s Tree, which has the second most.

Kade Padgett is a member of the Grin Coaching Tree. The Grin Tree has one National Championship, which Grin won himself in Season 14. Padgett could become the first person other than the Tomfather himself to win a Natty in this tree.

Young and Hungry

Both ADs are relatively newer to the AD ranks. Yost coached Toledo for a season before taking over Miami in Season 19. Padgett made his AD debut in Season 20. This means either would be on the younger end (experience-wise, at least) of ADs who have won a National Championship.

Championship Rematch

Miami and Texas A&M have only met on the field twice before. Once was in Season 9 (the year Miami won it all) and once was earlier this season. Miami won both previous meetings.

This season they met in Week 2. Miami won that meeting 48-32. A big reason for that win was third-down efficiency. Miami converted 10 of their 15 attempts while Texas A&M only converted five of their 15. Texas A&M has since changed playbooks, but this could still be a key stat going into this game.

Conference Droughts

The ACC and the Big XII have both waited quite a while for a National Championship. This game is an opportunity for one of these conferences to end that drought.

The Big XII hasn’t had a National Champion since Season 15 when Oklahoma State won it. Oklahoma State would win another in Season 17, but that was as a member of the Big10, not the Big XII.

The ACC has technically never won a National Championship. While members like Clemson, Notre Dame, and Florida State have had National Championships, none have ever done it as a member of the ACC. The ACC’s first season in the league was in Season 15, one year after Florida State’s Championship.

Old vs New

In this matchup, we will see a senior QB (Leisa Pink) take on a freshman QB (Malcom Streets). This might lead many to believe that Pink holds the advantage, but league history shows that might now be the case.

In league history, a freshman has lifted the Championship Trophy more times than a senior has. I only went back to Season 4 (since seniors weren’t a thing before then) and found that three seniors have rode off with a championship. However, four freshmen have started their careers with a Natty. Below is a breakdown of who and when these occurred.