Last year, Miami went to the Swamp and destroyed the Florida Gators on the way to a 9-0 start, and an 11-3 season that saw the Canes fade late. It was still a top 20 season, as Mario Cristobal rebuilds Miami football brick by brick.
Sunday, facing a physical tough Notre Dame team that played for the national championship in 2024, Miami clearly announced that Miami Hurricanes football under Mario Cristobal is still very much moving in the right direction.
Cristobal takes criticism, and it’s been deserved for some for late-game failures, but at the end of the day, Miami is better than when he arrived and is again a player on the national stage.
There’s a lot of truth here.
Miami beats Notre Dame and I gotta say:
I know Twitter loves to criticize Mario Cristobal, but he took over the same year as Lincoln Riley, Brian Kelly, Billy Napier + Brent Venables
Has Miami in as good of a shape as they’ve been in 20 years.
Show the man some RESPECT
pic.twitter.com/VffSDXUFsZ
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) September 1, 2025
Sunday, I still thought Cristobal went too conservative in setting up for a FG, but Carter Davis made the FG, and the Miami defense answered the bell on Notre Dame’s final drive. He trusted his team to make winning plays.
Transfer QB Carson Beck looked sharp, and the defense looks aggressive and physical.
Miami should vault into the top 5 or 6, and now faces Bethune Cookman, South Floria with another huge home game against Florida before playing resurgent Florida State.
How Miami navigates the rest of the season is still open. Miami has won big games in recent years and didn’t cash in, but I won’t bet against this team. They had a look of being one of the best teams in the country. If I’m voting, I’d have Ohio State #1, LSU #3 and I’m dropping Miami at #3.
The Canes made a statement Sunday night with the nation watching.
