It’s Monday. Blah. I hope your day is going well. Don’t have much else. Whatever. On to it.
1) I have seen some musings about firing Mario Cristobal after another shitty ACC outcome. Mario Cristobal will not be fired anytime soon.
I have written that questions should be raised about Mario Cristobal’s future with the program. And on Monday, after some thought….I think questions should be raised about Mario Cristobal’s future with the program.
But in the terms of the reality of the situation regarding
firing him this year, Mario isn’t going anywhere. The powers that be seem to like him. He has Miami living on the outskirts of 10-winsville nowadays – although it’ll take a major turnaround to continue paying rent there this year. He’s recruiting well.
But as we all know, he’s a poor in-game coach, and his staff far too often fails to adequately adjust to their weaknesses and/or to what teams are doing well.
And most importantly, his buyout is estimated at around $61 million. That’s money you perhaps consider paying when you go 2-10 like Mike Norvell – even though FSU still didn’t pull that trigger. Unless Miami trips to something like 3-9 next year and a move clearly has to be made with a painful financial decision, don’t expect anything to happen. And I think Miami is too talented and the schedule will always be too navigable for that kind of trip and fall to happen.
But I think Mario’s resume has shown that strong questions need to be asked and evaluated as to whether he is the man to lead the Hurricanes when looking at the situation from a more long-term lens. 6 losses as a double-digit favorite since 2022. That’s truly absurd and shows that he’s doing less with more talent than his opponents way too often.
2) I hate playing the what if game, because it pisses me off, but there were two instances in particular that chap my ass looking back on Saturday.
I finally figured out what (I think) Shannon Dawson was bitching about on the sideline with Mario during the game.
I don’t really love using pictures for moments, but that one speaks a thousand words. On third-and-1, Brown had just cut left there, and the hole appears wide open to the right, and that’s what Dawson appears to be pissed about, and rightfully so. Cut to the right there, and we very possibly have a different ballgame, with Miami working to go up two scores in the fourth quarter.
The other one is something that not enough people are pointing out in my opinion. On Beck’s overtime interception, one of his intended receivers wasn’t open because he was tackled to the damned ground in the end zone right in front of an official. Check out the “U” in SMU in the end zone in this clip.
The SMU DB jams him at the goal line and appears to pull him over his body and down to the ground moments before Beck released the ball. Should have been first and goal with a chance to pound it in. A truly abysmal miss there, but that’s par for the course with the ACC and its dog shit officiating.
3) We’ll see where Miami comes out in the initial CFP rankings tomorrow night.
I have a feeling that Notre Dame win might carry some significant weight and keep the Hurricanes in striking distance of an at large bid (i.e., around 18).
But….of course any home stretch run depends on Miami doing their part and winning out to go 10-2. The way they’ve been playing, that feels like a titanic task, although I think Miami beats Syracuse handily with even a mediocre performance the way the Orange have been playing lately.
Or at least, that they’d better beat this Syracuse team handily. If not, whew, the rest of the season will be very ugly to watch.
