What a difference a year makes.
After last season, some Miami fans were calling for the firing of head football coach Mario Cristobal. Cristobal, now in his fourth season at the helm of the Hurricanes, had just watched his team collapse in epic fashion coming down the stretch to end the 2024 season and dash the College Football Playoff hopes of their title-starved supporters.
Miami was ranked as high as No. 4 in 2024, before shocking November losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse dropped the Canes from the ranks of the unbeatens, out of conference championship contention and ultimately out of the championship picture.
The Hurricanes fanbase couldn’t believe that the powerhouse of decades past had squandered a generational quarterback – Cam Ward, the top pick in the NFL draft last year – and fumbled their best chance at a national title in over 20 years.
But Cristobal and the Canes rebuilt, added former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck from the transfer portal, and came back a season later with a team that’s perhaps more well-rounded than last year’s squad.
The Canes got off to a fast start in 2025 with an opening win against Notre Dame and rose as high as No. 2 in the nation before a pair of disappointing losses in a three-week span had Miami fans once again calling for Cristobal’s ouster.
But Miami stayed the course, flying largely under the radar to a 10-2 finish, once again missing out on the ACC title game. This time, however, the Hurricanes eked into the CFP just ahead of the Fighting Irish as the final at-large bid.
Cristobal’s Hurricanes have proved the skeptics wrong in these playoffs, with a dominant defense and impressive wins over No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 2 Ohio State to reach the national semifinals. Miami’s defense will face its toughest test yet in No. 6 Ole Miss, the nation’s second-best offense in yards per game.
