‘Strong message’ Mario Cristobal hopes the Miami Hurricanes send the game off with an 8-0 score

On Saturday night, the Miami Hurricanes fell short of their end goal when they defeated rival Florida State 36-14 to keep his perfect season intact.

However, Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal hopes that after the victory one thing became clear.

“It’s extremely important to go out there and beat this program and go undefeated in the state of Florida,” said Cristobal, whose team also beat the Florida Gators, Floird A&M Rattlers and USF Bulls this season. “I think it’s a strong signal. “I think all recruits, in and out of state, can now clearly see the trajectory of this program compared to the trajectory of other programs.”

And with these words, Cristobal slammed his hands on the lectern, as if a judge was banging a gavel to make his decision final.

This was the moment Cristobal worked for three years. After taking over the program ahead of the 2022 season, he knew there was still work to be done to return Miami to the level of competition it had when he was a player from 1989-1992.

They got through their lumps. They fell behind other state schools.

“When we came here, we knew we were going to get a kick early,” Cristobal said. “I’ve probably talked to a few people in this room about it, man, wow, this is a pretty monumental task. We have to turn this around. We have to change this lineup. All other state schools are far behind. They have a base. They were at bowl games. They won conferences. We have to start this.”

Now? The script seems to be reversed.

The Hurricanes are a perfect 8-0, including 4-0 in conference play. They are classified as No. 5 team in the country AND have an inside path 12 College Football teams to participate in the playoffs. Miami is currently ranked No. 12 in the nation, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings of the top 10 classes. More talent will be on the way, even after this veteran-heavy group departs.

The rest of the state? Things aren’t going so well.

The FSU team that Miami beat on Saturday is 1-7 and has already been eliminated from the playoffs in one season after going undefeated in the regular season but getting bounced in the playoffs and seeing a massive talent drain in the offseason. Their offense is one of the worst in the country and competes with teams like Kennessaw State and Kent State that are at the bottom of the rankings. Their recruiting class ranks 48th overall (11th in the ACC) and is declining.

Alligators? They are 4-3 this season and 15-17 overall in three years under Billy Napier – entering the annual game against Georgia that kicks off a four-week stretch that also includes an away game against Texas and home games against LSU and Ole You miss the finish against Florida State. UF will need to win at least one of its final four conference games to have a chance to qualify for a bowl. In terms of recruiting, UF’s class ranks 50th in the nation.

UCF Knights? They are 3-5 this season and have gone 4-10 in conference play since joining the Big 12 in 2023, including 1-4 in league play this season.

The state’s other three Football Bowl Subdivision teams — USF, FAU Owls and FIU Panthers — are a combined 7-15 this season.

Given where Miami is in Cristobal’s first two seasons – 5-7 in 2022, 7-6 in 2023 – the Hurricanes have made the notable jump the coach was hoping for in his third season.

“It’s a great example of doing your best and not worrying about all the crap that comes with redevelopment,” Cristobal said. “I think it’s good for young coaches to never hesitate to do a rebuild if they believe in it. Get rid of all the bullshit and nonsense for a while, but then start putting it all together and start winning.

That said, the Hurricanes still have goals to achieve that are within their reach. With four games left in the regular season, Miami’s first focus is on taking over the standings along with the rest of the conference schedule, which includes a home game against Duke (Saturday at noon), an away game against Georgia Tech (Nov. 9), a home game against Wake Forest (November 23) and away game against Syracuse (November 30).

Next up will be the ACC Championship Game if they are one of the top two teams in the conference at the end of the season.

Then comes the 12-team College Football Playoff and a chance for their first national title since 2001.

“We are making progress,” Cristobal said, “but we are not yet close to where we want to be.”