It’s no secret that Mario Cristobal has brought a ton of success in his few short years at Miami, as Notre Dame was witness to its last fall in Coral Gables.
The Hurricanes are undefeated (8-0), the top-ranked team in the country, on the path to a second straight College Football Playoff appearance and on the hunt for their first national title since 2001.
Miami, who has a 43-19 overall record and a 3-1 CFP mark with Cristobal at the helm, losing to Indiana in the 2025 CFP National Championship game.
Cristobal and the Hurricanes will travel to South Bend on Saturday to face US LBM Coaches Poll No. 6 Notre Dame, a test to see if Miami truly deserves to be No. 1.
Last season, Miami defeated Notre Dame 27-24 in its season home opener.
Cristobal was
an offensive tackle for the Hurricanes in 1989-92, but didn’t get a chance to play against the Fighting Irish due to injuries. He went on to have success as a head coach at FIU and Oregon, but the real gold mine for Cristobal has been at Miami so far.
Canes coach Mario Cristobal, not surprisingly, won’t get caught up in the hype surrounding Miami’s game at Notre Dame or the importance of it in the CFB playoff race:
— Will Manso (@WillManso) November 2, 2026
“The expectations within the walls here are greater than any outside noise or, quote unquote, pressure can be.” pic.twitter.com/tPKAqulAXk
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
Follow Kevin on X: @KevLSmittie
This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame set to face Miami's Mario Cristobal for 2nd year in a row
