The 17-9 loss by the Miami football team at Texas A&M on Saturday night continued multiple losing streaks versus Power Five non-conference opponents and more specifically the SEC stretching back to 2013. Miami kept the score much closer than in more recent games versus Power Five non-conference opponents.
Miami’s losses to non-conference Power Five opponents and teams from the SEC have been part of the reason the Hurricanes have been mired in mediocrity. Miami last defeated a Power Five non-conference opponent in a 2017 41-8 win over Notre Dame. Miami has lost seven straight Power Five non-conference games.
The Hurricanes’ last win over a Power Five non-conference opponent away from home was a 31-14 win over West Virginia in the 2016 Champs Sports Bowl. Miami has lost five straight games against Power Five non-conference opponents away from home. The game at Texas A&M is the only road game in that stretch.
Miami last defeated a Power Five non-conference opponent on the road in 2008 ironically at Texas A&M. Texas A&M was in the Big XII in 2008. That is a stretch of only four games. Miami lost at Florida earlier in 2008 and lost to California in the Emerald Bowl in a neutral site game across the Bay later in the season.
Miami's loss at Texas A&M was the Hurricanes' 8th consecutive against non-conference Power 5 opponents
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 18, 2022
The last win against an SEC opponent for Miami was a 21-16 win at Florida in 2013. Miami has lost five straight games against SEC opponents since the 2013 win versus Florida. Those losses have come against five different opponents. Four of those five losses have been since 2018 with three on neutral sites.
Miami has Power Five non-conference opponents on the schedule for at least the next 10 years. Seven of those 10 years have non-conference games versus SEC opponents. Only the 24-20 loss to Florida in 2020 was closer than the more recent Miami games versus Power Five non-conference opponents.
The expectation is for the Miami football program to be more competitive under Mario Cristobal. Miami was competitive in College Station. Next year Texas A&M plays at Miami. Cristobal and new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis both won games versus Ohio State in 2021 while at Oregon and Michigan.
After hosting Texas A&M in 2023, Miami plays Florida and Notre Dame in non-conference in 2024 and 2025. The Hurricanes travel to Gainesville and South Bend in 2024 before hosting the Gators and Fighting Irish in 2024 and ’25. Miami should have stacked multiple top 15 recruiting classes by then.