Mario Cristobal's team sits in the top 15 nationally, owns one of the best defenses in the country and is still alive in the ACC and College Football Playoff races after an 8-2 start. The Hurricanes spent a chunk of the fall ranked in the top 10, even climbing to No. 2 in the AP poll before losses to Louisville and SMU sent them sliding.
It is exactly the kind of season that invites a very specific "what if" in Coral Gables: what if this year's defense was paired with last year's star quarterback, Cam Ward?
The current defensive PPG leaders in college football: pic.twitter.com/g3dKhDHG0w
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Cam Ward's 2024-25 Miami Hurricanes season
Ward's one season at Miami was electric. The Washington State transfer rewrote the record book, setting single-season program marks with 4,313 passing yards and 39 touchdown passes, while throwing just seven interceptions. He was a Heisman Trophy finalist, won the Davey O’Brien and Manning awards and became the first Hurricane ever named ACC Player of the Year on offense. Miami's 2024 offense ranked No. 1 nationally in ESPN's SP+ efficiency, even as the team fell just short of the 12-team playoff.
Ward guided Miami to a 10-3 finish, then broke the all-time Division I record for career touchdown passes during the Pop-Tarts Bowl before sitting out the second half. Months later, the Tennessee Titans made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The 2025-26 Miami Hurricanes
This year's team looks different. The 2025 Hurricanes are built from the front on defense. Behind a big season from junior defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. and a revamped secondary, Miami ranks ninth nationally in total defense, allowing just 270.9 yards per game and has only given up 16 offensive touchdowns through 10 contests. Miami is No. 7 in scoring defense at 15.4 points per game, with opponents managing only 4.2 yards per play and 80.7 rushing yards per game, both top-five figures nationally.
That is a massive leap from 2024, when the defense finished 52nd in ESPN's SP+ while the offense led the country. Cristobal responded by overhauling that side of the ball, hiring Corey Hetherman as defensive coordinator and rebuilding the secondary through the portal. The payoff has been obvious every Saturday this year.
On offense, Carson Beck has been more solid than spectacular. The Georgia transfer is completing 72.4 percent of his passes with 2,485 yards and 19 touchdowns, but he has also thrown nine interceptions, including four in the loss to Louisville and two more in an overtime defeat at SMU. Miami still averages 32.4 points per game and sits in the top 25 nationally in scoring, but they have had some really bad moments this season.
Cam Ward + Miami's 2025-26 Defense = National Championship
So Miami fans imagine the combo that never got to exist: Ward's record-setting efficiency and late-game poise dropped into a defense that smothers the run, harasses quarterbacks and rarely gives up explosive plays. Realistically, Miami wouldn't be sweating out ACC tiebreakers or relying on the committee. They would most likely be one of the highest ranked teams in the nation, and a lock for the CFP.