There is a program that won a National Championship and played for another in the 2000s but has since struggled to regain its place at the top of the sport. They are located in a talent-rich state with warm weather. They have signed highly touted recruits. They have hired accomplished coaches. They even had promising starts that eventually fizzled out. It has hit the point where no one believes they are going to get over the hump until they finally do it. Then last season, the Texas Longhorns finally did it.
Four Reasons Miami Will Make the CFB Playoff
1. Talent
2. QB Play
Tyler Van Dyke entered the transfer portal and ended up in Wisconsin. At that time, former Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward had started the process of moving on to the NFL. Cristobal and his staff continued to pursue Ward and eventually landed their man. Van Dyke had a similar completion percentage but had only 19 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Ward threw 25 touchdowns to just 7 interceptions. Along with the better touchdown to interception ratio, Ward also added eight rushing touchdowns compared to Van Dyke’s 1. Ward gives the program a quarterback that is careful with the ball and a true dual-threat. Quality quarterback play is essential for any team with postseason goals. In a conference bursting with quarterback question marks, Miami is in a good position.
3. Expanded Playoff
Admittedly, I would hesitate to project Miami into a four-team playoff. However, the four-team playoff is a thing of the past. The Hurricanes are in an era where they can make it without winning the ACC. If the team goes 10-2 they will be in the discussion for an at-large spot. Their season will likely be defined by the back-to-back stretch on October 19th and 26th with games against Louisville and Florida State: the two teams who played in last season’s ACC Championship Game. The Hurricanes will travel to Louisville first and will then host the Seminoles the very next week. If they can split these two games and handle the rest of their schedule they are in the driver’s seat for a playoff berth. It is critical that Miami not play down to its competition. A week one game against in-state foe Florida is critical. In a matchup against a program trending down the way Florida has recently, Miami cannot afford to slip up and give them life. I believe Miami will win that game, along with avenging last season’s slip-up against Georgia Tech and besting former Hurricane head coach Manny Diaz when they play Duke.
4. Experience
Miami has higher returning production than many teams in the ACC. Miami has accumulated more talent than almost any team in the conference through recruiting, and the programs that are close to Miami’s recruiting level (Florida State and Clemson) return less production. Many of those returning players also got the experience of playing in close games. In the regular season, Miami went 2-4 in one-possession games last season. The blunder at Georgia Tech is what most people remember, but the team also showed some positives such as winning back-to-back overtime games against Clemson and Virginia. If the Hurricanes avoid self-destructing and come ahead in the close games, a 10-2 or 11-1 season is obtainable. They just have to avoid letting one mistake turn into an avalanche. I have head coach Mario Cristobal on my hot seat this season, but I think he has learned from last year’s hiccups.
Miami was at one time the premier program of college football. They won the national championship in 2001 and played for it again in 2002. Since then the program has struggled to get back to the top. Good thing for Miami fans though, they only need to look back a few years to see that teams with the right circumstances can regain their former place. In 2021, Georgia won its first national championship since 1980. In 2023, Texas won the Big 12 for the first time since 2009. Also in 2023, Michigan won its first national championship since 1997.
The Hurricanes are returning an experienced roster, have acquired talent, and improved at the quarterback position. All of this has happened leading into the first season of an expanded playoff. I understand the skepticism. In the last two decades, the expectations at Miami have stayed high but the quality of play on the field has not. However, the build has hit a point where the team can take the next step. Miami will not win the national championship this year, but they will get out of college football purgatory and finally make the playoffs.
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