Where Mario Cristobal ranks nationally among power conference head coaches

Mario Cristobal is 35th out of 68 Power Conference head coaches in the 2024 rankings by CBS Sports. Cristobal moved up four spots in the rankings after Miami improved to 7-6 in 2023 from 5-7 in 2022. Miami finished 3-5 in the ACC for the second straight season but played in its first bowl game since 2020.

Cristobal has consistently proven to be one of the best recruiters in the country. Miami needs to take a giant leap forward for Cristobal to quiet his critics in 2024. The Hurricanes have signed a top-10 class in each of the past two recruiting cycles. Miami needs to have those players pay dividends.

There are 11 ACC head coaches ranked behind Cristobal. That includes the three new hires by Boston College (Bill O'Brien) Duke (Manny Diaz, Cristobal's predecessor at Miami) and Syracuse (Fran Brown). O'Brien has previous experience as a head coach at Penn State and with Houston Texas.

The game against Duke will be critical for Cristobal and Miami. Facing Diaz is a near-no-win situation for Miami. A loss to the Blue Devils will create more questions than there will be before the game. Brown was the secondary coach at Georgia and an elite recruiter.

"35 Miami (Fla.)
Mario Cristobal: One of the most polarizing coaches in these rankings every year. Some of our voters consider Cristobal a sure-fire top-20-to-top-15 coach due to his ability to land talent. Then there are others who think getting the talent is great but you have to do something with it. Cristobal has been at Miami for two seasons and is 12-13 with a 6-10 mark in the ACC. Last season was a step forward -- the 'Canes got back to a bowl game -- but they left a win or two out on the field. That affects Cristobal's reputation amongst our voters. 2023 rank: 39 (+4)"

- Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports

CBS Sports released the 26th through 68th ranked power conference coaches on Tuesday. The rankings were based on a poll from CBS Sports and 247Sports (CBS' subsidiary) among their columnists and reporters. There was no set criteria per Tom Fornelli who wrote the intro in the rankings from 68th through 26th.

If Miami lives up to its 2024 projections, Cristobal should rise significantly in the 2025 rankings. Miami has accumulated enough talent in its last two classes and with the transfers added to its 2024 roster to compete to earn a berth in the ACC Championship Game and contend for a College Football Playoff spot.