The 2024 college football season could not be more significant for the University of Miami and its’ football program. The expectations for head coach Mario Cristobal and the team wiull be the highest they have been in the last 20 years when the season opens in Gainesville August 31,.
With the reshaped roster and haul of talent imported into Coral Gables, the Hurricanes have received respect from sports books. Hard Rock Bet has Miami tied for the eleventh-best odds to win the national championship. With the new College Football Playoff format of 12 teams this year, the Hurricanes have a great chance of getting into the dance for the first time since the new playoff format started.
The easiest way to secure a spot in the college football playoffs is to win your conference, a feat Miami has not achieved since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Canes have the third-best odds of winning the ACC at Hard Rock Bet, the highest it’s been for several years.
Anticipation has reached a fever pitch among fans of “The U” as they eagerly await the possibility of their second 10-win season in the last 20 years, with Cristobal entering his third year with the program.
Despite the disappointing season last year, when he went 7-6, and improved his total record to 12-13 in his first two years at Miami, Cristobal still has the confidence of the fans. One reason is the influx of talent through the recruiting trail and the transfer portal.
Gaby Urrutia is a Miami Hurricanes recruiting writer at 247Sports and former Caplin News staffer. When discussing his expectations for the upcoming season, he outlined what Miami must do to move in the right direction.
“Miami needs to leave no doubt that the program is headed in the right direction,” he said. “What that looks like to me is at least ten wins. This is as manageable of a schedule as the Hurricanes will have at any point over the next ten years, and they have put together the best roster that they’ve had in the [Mario] Cristobal era.”
Urrutia is not the only one thinking about ten wins for the Canes. Hard Rock Bet has their win total at 9.5, so bettors can place the over/under.
They have the respect and expectations of the sportsbooks, too.
“If everything comes together, I think there is enough talent (on paper) to be one of the 12 teams in the expanded college football playoff,” he said. “There is a long way to go, but this is the year where we need to see on-field results. My expectation is that Miami has a strong season.”
The season opener in Gainesville against their fierce rivals is something fans should be looking out for as the season approaches.
“We will learn a lot about Miami on August 31st in Gainesville,” Urrutia said. “The Hurricanes haven’t won a road game against an SEC school since 2008 when they beat Texas A&M at Kyle Field. Regardless of the public perception of what Florida is, that is going to be a tough game in the Swamp to open the season.”
Urrutia says a player to watch is Washington State transfer Cameron Ward, the new quarterback for the Canes.
“It starts and ends with Cam Ward,” he said. “Despite bad quarterback play, the Hurricanes were still in position to win more than seven games a year ago. If Miami gets elite quarterback play, with the strong supporting cast in place, who knows how far this team can go.”
Ward’s odds of winning the Heisman are the ninth-best of any player in the conference.
Oklahoma State transfer Damien Martinez is also listed in Heisman odds on many sportsbooks nationwide. The running back is in for a big year with the Hurricanes as the newly shaped quarterback-running back duo highlights the offense for Miami.
Adam Graham, who has been a Miami fan since 1987, says he’ll be looking at the defense this season.
“I really am going to watch the type of pressure we can put on the quarterback,” Graham said. “I am excited to see Ruben Bain Jr. take the next step. With [Akheem] Mesidor coming back and [Tyler] Baron transferring in from Tennessee, our defensive ends could be some of the best in the country.”
Graham is most excited about a specific defensive back out of all the talented transfers Miami acquired.
“The player I am most interested in seeing is Mishael Powell, the transfer from Washington,” he said. “He brings a winning pedigree into a program that had a lot of lapses last year in the back end of our defense. It will be interesting to see how he can help organize the secondary and be the leader back there.”
The Hurricanes have many key players returning including wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, offensive lineman Jalen Rivers, linebacker Francisco Mauigoa, right tackle Francis Mauigoa.
“The U” is poised to have a great year with many high expectations from fans, analysts, sportsbooks, and more.
After their spring game earlier this offseason, Cristobal told the media, “There was an increase of competition at a lot of positions, and some of them were made a little bit more clear. They were assessed and improved, and some might have to be improved now moving forward.”
“Overall, this is a team that is progressing and understanding and growing and developing.”
