Opinion: This Is A Make Or Break Season For Mario Cristobal
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Another year for the Hurricanes and another year that many experts and fans expect the team to finish atop of the Atlantic Coast Conference. It might seem crazy but despite how amazing Mario Cristobal has been at recruiting throughout his career, if he does not come close to competing for the top spot, this is a make-or-break season for him as the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes football team.
Under former head coach Manny Diaz, Miami struggled to a 21-15 win-loss record, including 16-9 in ACC play. Only one truly successful season for Diaz in 2020-21 but it was still not enough to retain him. Diaz spent six years at Miami as the defensive coordinator (2016-18) and head coach (2019-21). There is a normal three-year rebuilding window for a new head coach and Cristobal is entering year three of his.
Cristobal has gone 12-13 in his first two seasons as the leader of this team but tell me why does it feel different from his time at Oregon compared to now? He led the Ducks to back-to-back Pac-12 championships but was behind an All-American offensive line and one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL today Justin Herbert. He has started to develop that in the Hurricane system with a quality o-line, but the missing piece has been his quarterback. Washington State transfer quarterback Cameron Ward could be the centerpiece of his puzzle.
Going through a quarterback carousel after Tyler Van Dyke's decline from his ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year season did not aid the head coach, but he has shown what he can do when he does have an NFL-caliber line and QB. Now this will not be able to overcome some of the biggest coaching mistakes he has made in his career in recent years. Notably, the run against Georgia Tech that he had no reason to call. Time trickled away with a 99.9-percent chance to win and the game was over until it wasn't.
That call changed the outcome of a promising season for the Canes who would have gone to Chapel Hill, NC 5-0 to face the undefeated No. 12 ranked Drake Maye-led Tar Heels. At that time, anything could have happened.
Other questionable timeouts during games, mismanagement of the clock, and simple details of coaching also hindered the team against some of the top opponents in the country.
That is why this season is made or break for Cristobal. 74-73 for his coaching record at the collegiate ranks and going under that .503 mark this season would be the deal breaker for the Hurricanes. He has everything lined up for him and is surrounded by some of the best talent in college football not just the ACC. He has a playoff-caliber roster on paper and is one of the many reasons many players have transferred to South Beach to help bring back the historically great program that once was the U.
A look at the schedule could also back up the argument that he is in hot-seat territory. Outside of the games many experts and analysts expect the team to lose in Florida State and Louisville, the Hurricanes have one of the easiest schedules across the country. That record would be 10-2 if the two games are losses against the Seminoles and Cardinals but with that record, they could be a lock for the College Football Playoff. Finishing below .500 once again in conference play will not cut it for the expectations set on this program.
Two outcomes would take Cristobal off the hot seat. A run in the College Football Playoff or a competitive nail-biting loss in the ACC championship game where the Hurricanes are still searching for success after joining the conference in 2004. Another abysmal 3-5 record in conference play could leave the people in South Florida questioning his coaching ability, and his exit could be similar to how Diaz was released from his duties. Now, with the new landscape of the college football world, this is an opportunity for one of the most historic programs in the country to return to prominence. If Cristobal can do that, his mission of returning the "U" back to its roots will have taken a step in the right direction.
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JUSTICE SANDLE