The college football season has officially began, making way for top teams across the country to compete for a national title.
Heading into the season, some of the top contenders included, Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, LSU and Clemson.
While some teams across the board had disappointing starts to the season, like the Longhorns losing to the Buckeyes and Clemson falling in the first weekend of the season, an ACC contender shined bright in prime time.
The Miami Hurricanes, led by head coach Mario Cristobal, earned a victory over Notre Dame to begin the season.
Miami defeated Notre Dame 27-24. They were ranked as the No. 10 team in the country and wound up earning a big boost after the victory over the Fighting Irish.
Heading into Week 2 of the college football season, Miami is ranked as the No. 5 team in the country and the No. 1 team in the ACC.
As they prepare for a matchup against Bethune Cookman, SEC college football analyst Paul Finebaum had some strong words for Cristobal.
Finebaum mentioned that Cristobal has an incredible reputation in terms of college football recruiting and shared his thoughts on his relentless take.
"You have an impeccable reputation as a recruiter," Finebaum said. "I know everybody wonders about today's world. How different it was 5-10 years ago... You are relentless."
What motivates @CanesFootball @coach_cristobal as a recruiter? pic.twitter.com/T2oH9tAh5j
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) September 4, 2025
Mario Cristobal is currently in his fourth season with the Miami Hurricanes.
He took over as the head coach of the ACC program in 2022 and has since brought the Hurricanes back to national relevancy.
Last season, Miami fielded one of the top players in college football, Cam Ward, who wound up being the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
Ward transferred to Miami via the transfer portal, following stints and Incarnate Ward and Washington State.
As Paul Finebaum explained, Mario Cristobal is widely considered one of the best recruiters in college football. Miami earned the No. 3 transfer portal ranking and the No. 13 overall high school recruiting ranking in the 2025 class, per 247Sports.
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