Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes took the best asset out of Kirby Smart’s Georgia depth chart, Carson Beck, to stack to their high-flying offense for a post-Cam Ward future. They are strongly hoping for a monster jump for their top QB recruits for the year. You can bring out the ghosts from the past three seasons (5-7, 7-6, 10-3), but that rarely matters as long as there is progress and improvement. Sometimes, it’s enough to keep a bare minimum goal of being better than yesterday.

We don’t chime in the strength factor that will keep pace with that hope of Cristobal and Co., but if we keep them in the opposite of another ACC giant, the Clemson Tigers, the veteran coach, and his strategy aren’t weighing very high.

Mario Cristobal gets snubbed by the Clemson Tigers’ promising pre-season hype

What is the key to success in the current version of college football? Well, first and foremost, you nail the recruitment—whether it is your high school recruitment or you take players from the transfer portal. Mario Cristobal is well aware of that, and the names that will appear on the Canes roster do not end at Carson Beck. And if you’re a Miami fan, you’d wish that the head coach addressed the defense, especially the secondary.

The flurry of acquisitions includes three cornerbacks—Xavier Lucas, Charles Brantley, and Ethan O’Connor. Then, he also added some offensive weapons—a veteran LSU receiver, CJ Daniels; a starting center, James Brockermeyer; and an impact defensive tackle, David Blay Jr.—as the strong supporting shield of Beck. They also had a young pipeline of talents waiting in line for their chances.

So, the depth chart looks quite stacked up. Now, here comes the quintessential question: does it really help Mario Cristobal to achieve his elusive championship dream? Many fans have been wondering when the U factor will return, and while Beck’s arrival has instilled some hope, Dabo Swinney’s math contradicts this optimism. Dismissing the Carson Beck supremacy, Spencer McLaughlin noted, “This is the third year of Dabo Swinney, Garrett Riley, and Cade Clubnik. That’s a spotted owl in college football, where you have the same head coach, same OC, and same quarterback for a third straight season, so I love that for Clemson.”

So far, there was nothing to be worried about as a Cane fan. But McLaughlin went far, giving a rundown justifying why the Tigers are a better ACC team over Miami, heading into a compelling new season. Tigers fell to Texas despite a valiant second-half rebound during a crazy playoff fight and capped off their season with 10-3. Klubnik, Swinney, and all other team leaders felt the impact and accepted the outcome without any complaints.

But they have shown flashes of class in the last few seasons. McLaughlin continued, ”They won a conference championship; they were competitive with Texas, but they bring back so much of that team; the continuity is why I say Clemson over Miami as my preseason favorite right now, going into spring football. 

Here, Mario Cristobal has taken a bitter pill. The analyst just chewed over Ward’s absence, saying, ‘‘Cam Ward is a lot to replace,’‘ instilling doubt on their new gun’s (Carson Beck) ability to fill the shoes of the Miami A-lister. But this is not the only red flag Miami has received over its standing.

Cristobal criticized for his in-game decisions

Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal has been listed at No. 11 on the list of CFB coaches, second among ACC coaches behind Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. Spencer’s prediction of Clemson over Miami found additional ground here. Cristobal’s previous stint with the Ducks has been a cherished history, by the way. Declining from No. 3 to No. 11 is a massive gap that needs to be addressed with care if Miami wants to reestablish its footing in the conference.

“There is no question Cristobal knows how to attract talent—Miami was loaded a year ago—but his in-game decision-making has been called into question,” ON3’s Ari Wasserman wrote, justifying the disappointing rank. “Cristobal’s presence has been a net positive at the places he’s coached.”

Indeed, Cristobal’s late-game clock management has been a giant issue that triggered constant talking among Miami and college football fans. For example, Cristobal’s decision not to kneel out the coach with a three-point lead makes them eat a fumble and a game-winning touchdown against Georgia Tech in the final minute. The coach also received a lot of flak for not taking accountability for his deeds in the post-game comments. It’s time to see if Cristobal can overcome all the challenges and prove that Beck and his latest additions are the answer.