ESPN College Football pundit Paul Finebaum expects Miami to "get big wins later" and that Mario Cristobal "very well has a national championship" contender during an appearance on Sportscenter on Sunday. Finebaum appeared to discuss the 26-7 Miami win over Florida on Saturday night.
ESPN College Football reporter Heather Dinich and Finebaum both discussed the projections for Miami in the College Football Playoff. Dinich stated Miami should be first in the CFP rankings during her appearance and in a column for ESPN.Com.
Miami moved up to second in the Associated Press Top 25 and is sixth in the USA Today Coaches Poll after the win over Florida. The inaugural 2025 CFP rankings are not released until November 4. The ESPN Power Rankings released on Monday have Miami second nationally behind Ohio State.
Finebaum was impressed Miami was able to beat Florida despite not playing their best game. Miami led 13-7 with five minutes left before scoring two touchdowns to secure the win over Florida. Finebaum also stated the wins over Notre Dame and Florida do not look as impressive as they did in the preseason rankings.
"Miami played fairly pedestrian and they still simply put away their rival from up in the state, and I think that shows you what they're capable of doing down the road. I realize if you're looking from a tall building, beating Notre Dame doesn't mean as much and...Florida is self-explanatory, but I think they'll get big wins later, and you have to look at what Mario Cristobal has done...He promised a winner, and he very well has a national championship contender here."Paul Feinbaum on ESPN
Miami outgained Florida 344-141 but was unable to put Florida away until the final five minutes. The Hurricanes overcame an inconsistent offensive performance and dominant defense to beat Florida. When Cristobal was hired, he stated his vision for building Miami and has delivered on that.
Cristobal has built the Miami roster from the inside out. Miami dominated Notre Dame and Florida on the line of scrimmage. Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus called the Miami defensive line the best unit in college football. Rueben Bain was named the ACC DL of the week for the second time this season.
Bain and Akheem Mesidor dominated Florida and Notre Dame, who were considered to have two of the best OL nationally, entering the 2025 season. Bain and Meisdor combined for 19 pressures versus Florida. The Miami defense, which was often a weakness in 2024, has is now a strength for the Hurricanes.