Miami Hurricanes:

In theory, the expanded playoff should really help a team like Miami. You could argue that the Hurricanes have top-15 talent on a pretty regular basis, but they’re not going to be one of the nation’s top four teams when all is said and done. Consistency has been a major issue in Coral Gables, but the increased margin for error with 12 teams in the CFP instead of four could open some doors.

Certainly that’s what Mario Cristobal is hoping for in his third year. To this point, Miami is an underwhelming 12-13 on his watch, but key offensive positions have been upgraded and the defensive pipeline is still rich.

 

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Offense

Cam Ward was one of the most sought-after QBs in the portal and he went about as far away from Pullman, Washington, as he could. Ward and fellow Pac-12 transfer Damien Martinez from Oregon State give OC Shannon Dawson the best QB/RB combo he’s had at Miami and maybe ever in his career. Dawson was on the Houston staff from 2020-22 and may have the chance to right a wrong after not recruiting the Lake Jackson, Texas native.

The interesting thing about Ward is that he played a Wing-T offense in high school and so he didn’t get a lot of looks. He’s now in his fifth season of college football and has put up nearly 14,000 passing yards in some pass-happy schemes. Martinez was an 1,100-yard rusher for the Beavers and Miami brought back WR Xavier Restrepo, who nearly had 1,100 receiving yards. This could be a dynamic offense.

Defense

Lance Guidry is a really solid defensive coordinator. His Hurricanes ranked 30th in yards per play allowed last season after finishing 103rd the previous season. They were much better against the run and also ranked tied for 22nd with 35 sacks. There are some holdovers from last season, but Guidry and Cristobal hit the transfer portal hard, as the Hurricanes spent some NIL money this offseason.

The portal can be used to add impact talent, but also depth. For a Miami team that lost four games that they led in the second half, this looks like an all-around deeper roster and every returnee is a year older in the scheme.

Outlook

We hear Miami hype every year. It hasn’t panned out for a while, with bad injury luck and bad coaching among the chief factors. If Ward can stay healthy and spearhead a resurgence with this offense, we know the defense will be solid and the schedule is extremely manageable with Florida State at home and no Clemson on the docket. My numbers have Miami favored in 11 games.

Pick: Over 9 Wins

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