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3 reasons why Miami Hurricanes optimism is justified
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- 3 reasons why Miami Hurricanes optimism is justified
Is the U back? The question has popped up — mostly mockingly — every year since the last Miami football dynasty ended in 2003. For the first time in 20 years, that answer is a whole-hearted "yes."
The Hurricanes have been a force for the past two seasons under Mario Cristobal, coming up just short of the College Football Playoff in 2024 before coming about 50 yards short of a sixth national championship in 2025. Miami looked nothing short of dominant in its playoff run, grinding down Texas A&M at notorious Kyle Field, crushing defending champion Ohio State and outracing Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss . There's no shame in losing to Fernando Mendoza and the charmed Indiana Hoosiers .
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But now Miami fans want more, and they feel as though they deserve it. No. 7 in the preseason rankings doesn't feel high enough, even considering the Hurricanes are replacing their starting quarterback, both stellar offensive tackles and two first-round edge rushers. The loser of the national championship game hasn't made it back the following year since 2017 Alabama .
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But the optimism in South Florida isn't just posturing. Here are three big reasons why the Hurricanes are right to think they can end the season in Las Vegas.
Darian Mensah is that good
Let's be honest. There wasn't a ton of belief that Carson Beck was really the guy for the Hurricanes. But both his ceiling and floor were known commodities, and Miami fans got pretty much just what they expected from the Georgia transfer. Top 10 in the nation in passing yards and touchdowns. The second highest completion percentage. Risky throws that led to double-digit interceptions, all at seemingly the worst time. And it got them all the way to the national championship game.
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They upgraded at quarterback in all the most important way. Darian Mensah's 28 big-time throws, as determined by Pro Football Focus, tied for sixth best in the nation in 2025. He's thrown as many picks across his first two seasons at Duke and Tulane as Beck had just last year. And he was even higher on those yardage and TD lists than Beck. The new guy isn't perfect — PFF grades for turnover-worthy plays, and Mensah's 21 last year tied for ninth, plus his size does bring the usual concerns — but paired with weapons like Malachi Toney , Mark Fletcher and Cooper Barkate , the offense should be among the nation's best.
Miami's schedule is that soft
Everyone has the Miami-Notre Dame tilt circled on their calendar as one of the games of the year. And traveling to Clemson is never easy, last year aside. But what's the third-toughest game on the calendar ? The scheduling gods graced the Hurricanes this year by avoiding SMU and Louisville , the other two teams widely thought to contend for the ACC championship. Even more remarkable, they miss most of the mid-tier contenders, with Georgia Tech , North Carolina State and Virginia , who finished first in the regular-season standings last year, off the slate.
With non-conference games against Florida A&M and Central Michigan, there's a real chance Miami can run the table if it wins that November brawl in South Bend. The 2024 team started 9-0 before dropping its last two road games; this year's bunch finishes with three straight at home. At the very least, the path to their first ever ACC championship appearance is laid out with a red carpet.
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Losing Rueben Bain won't kill Miami defense
The biggest question mark around the Hurricanes is on the defense. They put opposing QBs through the grinder with Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor , then made them pay with timely picks by Keionte Scott and Jakobe Thomas and punishing hits by Wesley Bissainthe. All are gone for this season. It's a safe bet Miami won't finish with a top-five defense again this year.
But this also won't be reminiscent of the 2024 squad that required Cam Ward to break school records week after week. The unit returns 10 significant contributors, including three key pieces of the secondary, safety Zechariah Poyser and top cornerbacks O.J. Frederique and Xavier Lucas. Ahmad Moten clogging the middle was just as important to Miami's elite front four as Bain and Mesidor, and big-hitting linebacker Mohamed Toure will still be lurking. Mario Cristobal did some prime work in the transfer portal to bring in edge rusher Damon Wilson II , third in sacks in the SEC last season out of Missouri , as well as nickelback Omar Thornton , who forced four fumbles and nabbed an INT with Boston College . They might not be an elite group again, but they'll be good enough to remain contenders to play deep into January.
Miami football schedule 2026
All times Eastern.
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Friday, Sept. 4:at Stanford * | 9 p.m. | ESPN
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Thursday, Sept. 10:vs. Florida A&M | 8 p.m. | ACC Network
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Friday, Sept. 18:at Wake Forest* | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
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Saturday, Sept. 26:vs. Central Michigan | 6:30 p.m. | The CW
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Saturday, Oct. 3:at Clemson* | TBD
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Saturday, Oct. 10:Open
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Saturday, Oct. 17:vs. Florida State * | TBD
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Saturday, Oct. 24:vs. Pittsburgh* | TBD
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Saturday, Oct. 31:at North Carolina* | TBD
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Saturday, Nov. 7:at Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. | NBC
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Saturday, Nov. 14:vs. Duke* | TBD
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Saturday, Nov. 21:vs. Virginia Tech * | TBD
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Saturday, Nov. 28:vs. Boston College* | TBD
*- ACC game
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 3 reasons why Miami Hurricanes optimism is justified
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