Mario Cristobal spoke up for high school football and took a necessary shot at the ACC

Friday nights are made for high school football and Mario Cristobal would love to keep it that way.

Cristobal had a wide-ranging interview with ESPN's Rece Davis that covered a number of subjects in advance of the season. When Davis predictably asked the Miami Hurricanes coach what he would change about college football, Cristobal kept it simple. 

"I would start with simplicity. I would make all college football games on Saturday,"he said.

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Miami will spend most Saturdays in September on the couch

Cristobal has a legitimate gripe this season as the Hurricanes' first three games are on Friday, September 4 at Stanford; Thursday, September 10 against Florida A&M and Friday, September 18 at Wake Forest. The ACC brain trust has decided to take whatever table scraps for TV that ESPN throws at them and that means more Friday night games for the conference.

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The decision to basically hides Miami from the busiest college football day of the week for most of the first month is a curious one, but not surprising given how poorly the conference markets itself and how much of a pushover ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips has shown himself to be. 

But for Cristobal it's more personal. He was part of those Friday night football events in Miami-Dade County when he played at Christopher Columbus High School in the 1980s. The prep games controlled the city on Friday nights and the weekly showcase of the local athletes was a perfect lead-in for the Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl on Saturday and the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. 

"I do believe Friday nights are sacred when it comes to high school ball," Cristobal added. 

Cristobal added that high school football in Miami-Dade County has actually become a three-day event because there are far more schools playing than stadiums available. So many local high school teams will play Thursday, Friday or Saturday from week-to-week. 

Still, with the Hurricanes playing Friday road games on two of the first three Fridays in September, it eliminates a chance for the coaching staff to go to Traz Powell Stadium and see the big game of the week or travel outside the county to see a commit or top target elsewhere. 

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Eventually, the schedule rights itself and the Hurricanes will be on Saturdays for the final nine games of the season, but Cristobal is right to speak up for the high schools. He wants them to have their time to shine in front of their community without forcing a decision between watching a prep game or watching the Hurricanes. 

Cristobal remembers what those Friday nights were like because he was once one of them and he hasn't forgotten that. 

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