The ‘strong message’ Mario Cristobal hopes Miami Hurricanes are sending with 8-0 start
The Miami Hurricanes didn’t accomplish their end goal on Saturday night when they trounced in-state rival Florida State 36-14 to keep their perfect season intact.
But Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal hopes one thing was made clear after the victory.
“Critically important to go out there and beat this program and to be undefeated in the state of Florida,” said Cristobal, whose team also beat the Florida Gators, Floirda A&M Rattlers and USF Bulls this season. “I think it sends a strong message. I think all recruits, in-state and out-of-state, can now clearly see the trajectory of this program versus the trajectory of the other programs.”
And with that, Cristobal slammed his hands on the lectern, as if a judge banging a gavel to render his decision final.
This was a moment three years in the making for Cristobal. After taking over the program ahead of the 2022 season, he knew there was work to be done to get Miami back to the competitive caliber it had when he was a player from 1989-1992.
They went through their lumps. They were behind other state schools.
“We knew when we came here that we were going to get our teeth kicked in early,” Cristobal said. “I probably spoke to several people in this room about, man, wow, this is quite a monumental task. We’ve got to flip this thing. We’ve got to flip this roster. All these other in-state schools are so far ahead. They have a foundation. They’ve been to bowl games. They’ve won conferences. We’ve got to start it up.”
Now? The script appears to be flipped.
The Hurricanes are a perfect 8-0, including 4-0 in conference play. They are ranked as the No. 5 team in the country and have an inside track to making the 12-team College Football Playoff. Miami currently has the No. 12 recruiting class in the country, according to the 247Sports composite ranking after back-to-back top-10 classes. More talent is on the way even after this veteran-laden group departs.
The rest of the state? Things aren’t going as well.
The FSU team that Miami beat on Saturday is 1-7 and already knocked out of bowl eligibility one season after going undefeated in the regular season but being snubbed from the playoffs and seeing a mass exodus of talent in the offseason. Their offense is one of the worst in the country, contending with teams like Kennessaw State and Kent State at the bottom of the rankings. Their recruiting class is 48th overall (11th in the ACC) and slipping.
The Gators? They’re 4-3 this season — and 15-17 overall in three years under Billy Napier — entering their annual meeting against Georgia, which starts a four-week gauntlet that also includes a road game against Texas and home games against LSU and Ole Miss before ending against Florida State. UF will need to win at least one of those final four conference games to have a chance at bowl eligibility. On the recruiting front, UF’s class checks in at No. 50 nationally.
The UCF Knights? They’re 3-5 this season and have gone 4-10 in conference play since joining the Big 12 in 2023, including 1-4 in league action so far this season.
The other three in-state Football Bowl Subdivision teams — USF, FAU Owls and FIU Panthers — are a combined 7-15 this season.
Considering where Miami was during Cristobal’s first two seasons — 5-7 in 2022, 7-6 in 2023 — the Hurricanes have made the noticeable jump the coach was hoping for in Year 3.
“It’s a great example of working your butt off and keeping your head down and not worrying about all that crap that comes with rebuilds,” Cristobal said. “I think it’s good for young coaches to not ever hesitate to take on rebuilds if they believe in it. Deal with all of the crap and nonsense for a little bit, but then start putting it together, start getting wins.”
That said, the Hurricanes still have goals to achieve that are clearly in their grasp. With four games left in the regular season, Miami has its eyes first on running the table with the rest of its conference slate that includes its home game against Duke (Saturday at noon), road game against Georgia Tech (Nov. 9), home game against Wake Forest (Nov. 23) and road game against Syracuse (Nov. 30).
Next up would be the ACC Championship Game should it be one of the top two teams in the conference at season’s end.
And then it’s the 12-team College Football Playoff and a chance for the team’s first national title since 2001.
“We’re progressing,” Cristobal said, “but we’re not anywhere near where we want to be yet.”
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