Mario Cristobal has Miami reaching milestones to prove the U is back

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mario Cristobal has Miami reaching milestones to prove the U is back

By Alan Rubenstein | Last updated Oct 23, 2026 12:24 AM ET

Is the U back? That has been a constant question surrounding the Miami Hurricanes since they won their last national championship in 2001. Mario Cristobal has slowly built Miami to where the Hurricanes were in 2001 and when he was a player from 1989 through 1992.

Miami won three consecutive games as the 10th seed in the 2025 College Football Playoff before losing to Indiana in the national championship game. Cristobal built the Miami roster through high-level talent acquisition via elite recruiting and transfer portal classes.

Miami has started the 2026 season with six consecutive wins. Losses by top-ranked Georgia and No. 2 Notre Dame last week allowed Miami to replace the Bulldogs as the best team in the Associated Press Top 25 and AFCA Coaches Polls entering week eight.

Cristobal has 41 wins and 19 losses in his fifth season coaching Miami. The 43-35 win over Florida State on Saturday allowed Cristobal to tie Howard Schnellenberger for seventh place in Miami history. Schnellenberger had 41 wins, 16 losses and one national championship with Miami from 1979 through 1983.

Miami will play a game as the No. 1 team for the first time since first time 2003 BCS National Championship Game.

This is the first time there has been three different No. 1 teams in a three-week span of a single season since Nov. 2012. pic.twitter.com/DPoYa6W57o
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) October 18, 2026

When Miami began the turnaround

Quarterback Cam Ward transferring to Miami in 2024 was the catalyst Cristobal and the Hurricanes needed to elevate the program. After going 12-13 in the first two years under Cristobal in 2022 and 2023, Miami finished with 10 wins and three losses, led by Ward in 2024.

Ward was a 2024 Heisman Trophy finalist and the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 2024 season was a pivotal one for Miami. Carson Beck followed Ward as a transfer to Miami. Miami had a school-record 13 wins with three losses in 2025.

The transfers of Ward and Beck helped Miami get Darian Mensah as their successor in 2026. Mensah is on pace to set the Football Bowl Subdivision record with an 80.8 percent completion percentage and is first nationally with a 203.94 passer rating.

Miami defeated Clemson and Florida State in the same season, a rarity. Winning the ACC and a national championship are arguably the only milestones Miami needs to reach to truly say the U is back.

Alan Rubenstein

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