Miami Hurricanes football is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!!!!!!!! And we’ve convened the SOTU crew to give some predictions on the season.
If you missed the first two parts of the season preview discussion, check the links right here:
Now, let’s get into the final installment of our season preview, including best case/worst case scenario, and calling our shot predicting the final record for the year. LEGGO!!
What would a successful season for Miami look like in your mind?
Cam Underwood: 10+ regular season wins AND a trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship game AND a trip to the College
Football Playoffs. Anything short of that is unacceptable.
Justin Dottavio: The ACC Championship. Not making the game, WINNING THE ACC. Making the game and losing it is still a failure, but not as catastrophic as not making the game at all.
Craig T. Smith: Making the College Football Playoff. Have to this year. No excuses. The talent is there in my opinion. The schedule is gorgeous, with 6 of first 7 at home and two marquee non-conference opportunities on the slate. Should have made it last year if not for pure incompetence on defense. Needs to happen this time.
KappaCane: (No response given)
Mike Schiffman: Winning at least one game in the CFP. Miami needs to get in, and they need to make some noise. I am probably in the minority, but I think the Canes would’ve been a really tough out in last year’s CFP, even with their porous defense. That was because they could easily put up 40 points against anyone with Cam Ward and all their weapons. I think Carson Beck and Miami’s defense could do some damage next January.
Jake Marcus: 10+ wins. ACC Championship appearance (and putting up a fight to get a playoff berth). Cristobal’s seat is hot and the expectations are high. Anything short of this would be a disappointment.
Rob Weaver: Make the damn playoffs. Period, end of story.
Jordan Lopez: (no response given)
What would a bad season for Miami look like in your mind?
Underwood: Any combination of results that has Miami missing the ACC Championship game, College Football Playoff, or both.
Dottavio: Not making the ACC Championship Game is a complete and utter failure. Period. If Mario can’t make Charlotte in 2025 just fire him because it’s hopeless.
Smith: Another (insert food product) bowl. Seriously, it’s playoff or bust in 2025 for the Canes to me. That simple for a successful or bad season.
Kappa: Conventional wisdom would say it’s not winning an ACC Championship. I don’t believe that. The Canes have made consistent progress under CMC and this season should continue that trend, and if it doesn’t then that would be my idea of a bad season.
Schiffman: Missing the CFP. The Canes have to make it this season. Also, sometimes your favorite team has their most successful season the year after the year. Miami had the best offense in the country last season, but couldn’t get a stop. I think they will be a more balanced team in 2025. Playoffs or bust!
Marcus: The hype is real after last year and its time to build off that momentum and take care of business. Outside of the Notre Dame and Florida game, it’s an easy schedule and anything short of making the ACC Championship, or even getting throttled in the ACC Championship would be considered a lost season.
Weaver: Missing the playoffs and the ACC Championship game. SEC and Big Ten bias will always make playoff selection time a sweat for everyone else who’s not a conference champion. But if missing the playoff is coupled with being left out of Charlotte again, then this basically matched last season. Matching last season is a bad season.
Lopez: A bad season will result in not making the conference title game. Miami has to be playing on December 6th in Charlotte in order for them to have a successful season. Going to the ACC Championship game will be a step up for the program and will likely secure its spot in the CFP. Anything less than this would be a failure, especially with this roster.
Call your shot: What’s your prediction for the W/L record for Miami this season?
Underwood: 11-1. I predicted this on both of the podcasts that I’m part of (like this one you can check out right here) and I stand by it. I could see maybe 10-2, but 9-3 (or worse) is entirely unacceptable as a result for this season. It just is. And for the record, I picked Miami to win the opener because everybody has it as a foregone conclusion that we’re gonna lose, and I’m not having it. So it’s a bit more “fan Cam” than “practical Cam” with this, but Mario keeps telling us things are getting better every year, and that’s why I’m picking 11-1. Calling Mario’s bluff. Make me right, Coach. Or we’ll BOTH have plenty to talk about at the end of the season.
Dottavio: 9-3. I’ve predicted the last two seasons accurately and I’m going with 9-3. Who those three losses are against is the question mark. Some combination of ND, Florida, SMU, Louisville, and Pitt.
Smith: I’m going 9-3. I think this team is good enough to get to 10-3 or 11-2 (reach ACCCG and lose) and get an at large spot in the playoff. I do not trust a Mario Cristobal-coached team at his point to see it happen. A late-season stinker on the road in the cold against Pitt or Virginia Tech shuts down the playoff chances late, just like 2024.
Kappa: It has to be a continuation of the year over year improvements we’ve seen in the past 3 seasons. to me that would be a 10+ win regular season, ACCCG, and a playoff berth. I’ll go 11-1 regular season, ACCCG Champions, and a playoff win for an overall 13-2 season.
Schiffman: 10-2. I am quietly confident in this year’s squad. The defense is revamped. The offense should still be well above average with their on-field talent alongside the scheming of Shannon Dawson. I think Miami gets to the ACC Championship Game and into the CFP for the first time in program history. If not now, when?!
Marcus: 11-1. The schedule is not that hard and Cristobal needs to get this roster to breakthrough with a bone to pick after missing last year’s CFP. Otherwise the Canes may be back to the drawing board.
Weaver: 11-1. I’m very bullish on Beck and the new defensive coordinator Hetherman making the defense at least competent. Injuries aside, I don’t see how Miami can or should be worse than 10-2 (splitting ND/UF and dropping a random ACC game, probably at VT or Pitt in the cold), so I’m calling my shot and saying this team will only drop one game before the postseason. Those are not my expectations – my expectations are closer to 9-3 – but my prediction is that this team will finally exceed our expectations.
Lopez: I see this team going 10-2. I believe Miami beats Notre Dame at Hard Rock to open the season, and that will get the boys going on a big winning streak with tons of momentum to start the season. The Canes will, unfortunately, have two losses where they shouldn’t have lost the game whatsoever, but it just happened. There are always games like that for Miami, and I can see it being against a mix of SMU, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh. Nonetheless, this team wins 10 games and makes it to the ACC Championship game (spoiler alert, they’ll beat Clemson too) and makes the CFP for the first time in program history.
There you have it. Our record predictions for the Canes’ 2025 season. Vote in the poll and drop your predictions in the comments section below.
