Just moments after No. 12 Miami's 38-7 dismantling of No. 22 Pittsburgh on Saturday, the Hurricanes head coach, Mario Cristobal, was interviewed on the field and made his case for why his team should be in the College Football Playoff.
"This is a college football playoff team. I think we've all seen it. We know it."Mario Cristobal
Mario Cristobal’s post-game interview.
— Grant Speaks (@GrantSpeaks1) November 29, 2025
Mario says Miami is a College Football Playoff team, and that head-to-head results are always the number one criteria in football. pic.twitter.com/FTPEJcdgXY
"The best part about football, you get to settle it on the field, where head-to-head is always the No. 1 criteria for anything regarding athletics and football."Mario Cristobal
Miami defeats Pitt to move to 10-2
The emphatic statement capped one of Miami's most complete performances of the season. The Hurricanes improved to 10-2 overall and 6-2 in the ACC, keeping both their ACC title and CFP hopes alive.
Freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney starred again, finishing with 13 catches for 126 yards, a receiving touchdown and a touchdown pass, while quarterback Carson Beck went 23 of 29 for 267 yards and three scores as Miami controlled the game on both sides of the ball. The defense sacked Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel four times and held the Panthers to a single touchdown.
Miami entered the weekend No. 12 in the CFP rankings, behind Notre Dame and several other two-loss teams despite holding a season-opening win over the Irish. That gap has fueled weeks of debate over whether the committee has undervalued the Hurricanes' resume.
Cristobal has avoided campaigning for his team, but now Miami is at the mercy of tiebreakers, the CFP committee, and the outcome of other games. So naturally, as many coaches do, he spoke up for his program and his players. Whether the committee agrees will not be decided until next week, but Cristobal made his opinion known and he had every right to do that in the postgame.