“Be a grown man and take care of business.”
Those were Miami head coach Mario Cristobal’s words after his team’s 26-20 upset loss to unranked SMU — words that now echo over a Hurricanes program teetering on the brink.
After starting the year 5-0 and rising as high as No. 2 in the AP Top 25, Cristobal’s Hurricanes have dropped two of their last three games, including Saturday’s overtime loss to a 5-3 SMU squad. The shocking defeat marked the Mustangs’ first win over a top-10 team in 51 years and came just two weeks after then-No. 2 Miami fell 24-21 to unranked Louisville.
With another ACC loss, Cristobal’s job is under scrutiny—and a potential $61 million buyout looms. According to USA TODAY Sports’ annual database of college coaches’ salaries, he is the third-highest paid coach in the ACC, behind Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and North Carolina’s Bill Belichick.
Saturday’s loss is the latest in a string of puzzling setbacks since Cristobal signed his 10-year, $80 million deal in December 2021, including his infamous choice in 2023 to run the ball rather than kneel with 33 seconds to play, leading to a fumble that resulted in an unlikely comeback win for Georgia Tech.
The Hurricanes are now on the outside looking in when it comes to the College Football Playoff, and they’re poised to drop out of the top 10 in this week’s AP poll. Their only win over a ranked opponent this season came in the opener against Notre Dame (27-24) in August.
“You don’t know how things shake out,” Cristobal said following Saturday’s game. “This is certainly a wild college football season and the focus has to be on us taking care of business.”
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