Let's take a look at Miami Football for the upcoming season.
Best / Worst Case Record for :
Louisville | Virginia | Duke | Georgia Tech | SMU | Boston College | Pittsburgh | Florida State | Virginia Tech | Cal | NC State | Clemson | Syracuse | North Carolina | Stanford| Wake Forest
Miami
The U came oh so close to actually being back last year. A 9-0 start and ranked in the top 5 had QB Cam Ward eyeing a Heisman Trophy and Miami staring at a playoff spot. Losers of 3 of their 4 games, the Canes were left yet again with when and if they are ever going to over that proverbial hump and return to being among the nation’s best programs. Head Coach Mario Cristobal has been OK, going 22-16 (12-12) in his three years at Miami, but it’s time to start cashing in all the talent the Canes have been accumulating the last couple of years. Could this be the year? It might be.
Will Go 12-0 (8-0) if:
They can start the year 6-0. The start of the schedule is brutal with Notre Dame, Florida, down but still dangerous rival Florida State, and Louisville. The Canes survive that, and the back half of the schedule, while still challenging, eases up. Transfer QB Carson Beck is a proven winner, going 24-3 at Georgia. If he can approach some of his best football we saw while at Georgia, Miami’s offense could be great once again. The defense ranked 27th, but it gave up 28 or more points in 7 games last year, and the Canes went 4-3 in those games. If new DC Corey Hetherman can get that defense to play to its talent level, the Canes can beat anyone on their schedule.
Will Go 8-4 (5-3) if:
It’s more of the same with Miami. Let’s face it, the Miami program has been consistently just OK since 2004. Every single year since then, Miami has won between 6 and 9 games, except for 2017 and 2024 when Miami went 10-3. The likelihood of going 7-5, 8-4, 9-3 seems pretty high. Notre Dame, Florida, and Louisville, while at home, could be 3 top 25 opponents in the Canes first 6 games. A game at SMU is tough, and games at Virginia Tech and at Pitt are the type of games Miami loses at least 1 of at some point in the season. Players like Offensive Lineman Francis Mauigoa and Defensive Lineman Rueben Bain Jr, are among the best in the ACC, but there is a lot of talent to replace. It’s not a given that the transition will be seamless.
