The Miami Hurricanes are headed to the northeast to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers in another one of those all-the-marbles type games this Saturday at high noon.
While the faces and names always change, the rivalry between the two current-ACC and former-Big East programs remains the same.
This is almost always a late-season game where the venue determines the environment—and much like 2003 when the Hurricanes and Panthers battled it out in sub-freezing weather for conference title; a 28-14 victory that earned Miami an Orange Bowl berth against Florida State—this showdown has both at-large implications, while the Canes could still be alive in the ACC hunt with a victory.
Unlike 2003, this year’s match-up looms heavier based on the two-plus decades that separate those two showdowns.
Miami was coming off back-to-back national championship berths 22 years ago; racking up conference titles, pumping talent into the NFL and double-digit win seasons had again become the norm—to the point where an 11-2 final record felt ‘lesser’ after 12-1 and a stolen championship in 2002, 12-0 and a natty in 2001 and 11-1 with a 2000 title game snub, respectively.
The Canes wound up spending 2006 through 2021 as a cash-poor, downtrodden football program—one that averaged 7-5 annually over that span—and the last time Miami was in a high-stakes showdown with Pittsburgh back in 2017, the 10-0 Hurricanes fell 24-14 and fast saw their charmed season unravel; rolled by Clemson in the ACC Championship and out-worked by Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl to finish 10-3.
The more a once-great program face-plants in big moments and the more these important games slip away—the more the college football world tends to give up on a program like Miami, fast to draw their own conclusion while expecting the worse, as they feel like they’ve seen this movie before and can predict the ending.
Also understandable when fourth-year Canes head coach Mario Cristobal slipped to 3-10 in November games as soon as that overtime loss to SMU was in the books weeks back—fast starts and stumbles down the stretch have become his calling card since leaving Oregon for Miami in late 2021; after building a reputation of dropping a winnable game (or two) as the Ducks’ head coach.
MID-SEASON PLUMMET AND THE CLIMB BACK
Miami paid for that unforgivable SMU loss in the first College Football Playoffs polls, ranked No. 18 after sitting at No. 10 in the human polls days earlier—many predicting a collapse in the coming weeks and Cristobal’s squad dead in the water.
Instead, the Hurricanes took care of business against a bad Syracuse team, manhandled a North Carolina State team that had shown some flair this year and recently took out Virginia Tech in Blacksburg; a rivalry game and Lane Stadium—a tougher out than the critics give credit for as they case-build against Miami.
It was a lopsided combined score of 113-34 the past few weeks as the Canes’ offense has opened back up, Carson Beck is regaining form and spark was found in running back Gerald Pringle; the fourth-string freshman now playing the role that many expected out of Jordan Lyle year two in this offense.
Yet it’s a narrative the masses seem to miss; especially ESPN talking heads and paid hacks like Joey Galloway and Louis Riddick as they toe the company line and ramble-on about “style points” or Miami “not doing enough”—Riddick pushing that energy a dozen time while providing color for last week’s Virginia Tech game, while Galloway had a new anti-Canes angle every time an ESPN or ABC game cut back to the studio at halftime for some filler.
One can only imagine the production meetings last week after the new polls came out as it truly seems like a narrative to create more space between Miami and Notre Dame, while it’s a no-brainer that bought-and-sold ESPN will lobby for a three-loss SEC team over the two-loss Canes as it’s a brand new landscape since the four-letter network dumped $3-billion on a decades-worth of SEC television rights last year.
Of course all of this is moot if Miami doesn’t take care of business at Pittsburgh and doesn’t get the tenth win—which brings it all back to the magnitude of this must-win game and the make-up of this Cristobal-coached roster—as these Hurricanes have to be prepared as ever for this all-the-marbles match-up.
If Miami finds a way to backdoor into the ACC Championship—more-doable this weekend than original thought—a revenge match against SMU appears in the cards, as Virginia Tech would have to upend Virginia in Charlottesville to give the Canes a tiebreaker nod.
Without that, it would take some other final week regular season chaos and some championship weekend take-downs to pave that at-large path—as there’s zero faith that even with Miami and Notre Dame separated by a spot in the polls, that the architects of this rigged system are ever putting the Hurricanes in the College Football Playoffs over the Fighting Irish.
Despite the Canes winning the head-to-head in the opener, topping the Irish, 27-24 at HardRock—the fix was in two weeks into this season when Notre Dame sat at 0-2 and was still ranked No. 24—a narrative that winning out against a pedestrian schedule down the stretch would be enough for an Independent program (with no conference rivalries or title game) to slide right in.
It used to be signature wins that helped a team case-build for their inclusion in the national title hunt; this year “better losses” has become the new metric—while Notre Dame also gets credit for strength-of-schedule, despite losing to the two best teams they faced—while beating virtually nobody of any real merit; No. 20 Southern Cal and No. 22 Pittsburgh the top of this year’s heap for the Irish.
It’s maddening, but expected—which is why Miami can’t let this corrupt committee off the hook or give them an easy out, which would be the case if losing at Pittsburgh in the finale.
UNFORGIVABLE TO NOT GET IT DONE AT PITT
Not only would the ridicule rain down that the Hurricanes are pretenders; weeks of complaining about a broken system would all prove to be a waste—as there’s no argument at 9-3 and the decision would work itself out, without the College Football Playoffs committee having to wash their dirty hands.
Cristobal is all about machismo and bravado; ground-and-pound football, winning in the trenches and out-toughing the competition—no bigger moment where all of the big talk has to come to fruition.
The more Miami has stepped down in these moments; the bigger these opportunities become—as the Hurricanes forever have a target on their back in a way other programs and coaches don’t.
There is just something different in this sport when Miami wins, but it’s even amplified in unfathomable ways after a loss.
Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M are the only three teams in this sport that can boast about an undefeated record; every other team out there with some blemishes on the resume—yet has there been any bigger conversation regarding college football losses this year than Miami getting upset by Louisville and SMU?
No. 8 Alabama suffered the season’s most-embarrassing loss in the opener when losing by two touchdowns to a Florida State team that finished 2-10 last year—and is fighting for bowl eligibility this season; Mike Norvell now on a 7-16 run since a 13-0 start in 2023—yet one of those wins was over a Crimson Tide team who has managed to whitewash the blemish from their resume this year.
Alabama even fell to a one-dimensional Oklahoma team in Tuscaloosa weeks back—a far cry from that lose-early narrative that gets pushed—yet the two-loss Crimson Tide are riding high at No. 10 and Miami, who beat the Seminoles head to head, are at No. 12.
No. 11 BYU played an unimpressive Big 12 schedule—dog-walked by No. 8 Texas Tech, 29-7—while their signature three-point win over No. 23 Utah looks lesser after the Utes gave up 47 points and 472 rushing yards to a 5-5 Kansas State team last weekend. Yet in the court of college football public opinion, there’s a narrative that the Cougars are somehow getting hosed as a one-loss team and there are a slew of critics in their corner demanding justice—while few are fighting for Miami.
Anything something happens to the Hurricanes; it was deserved. Miami put themselves in that position—as of other teams who lose don’t do the same?
Years back when Cristobal foolishly didn’t take a knee against Georgia Tech, nobody cared that his running back didn’t really fumble the ball and it was another botched ACC call—there was a sense of ‘he got was he deserved’ that other coaches don’t really deal with.
EXPECTED HYPOCRISY & DOUBLE STANDARDS
Jeff Brohm was hailed as a giant-killer weeks back when some trickery on his opening drive set the stage for Louisville to upset No. 2 Miami—Brohm praised as an offensive genius and talking heads nationwide hyping him for one of many bigger opening jobs currently available, while his team went on to beat Boston College and Virginia Tech in subsequent weeks.
Not a peep when Brohm choked away an overtime game at Cal and gave one away at Clemson, dropping to 7-3 and out of the ACC title hunt less than a month after upsetting Miami.
The college football media is always front and center talking about Cristobal’s record in November; Brohm is now 1-3 this month—but nobody’s talking.
Rhett Lashlee is another big time offensive mind praised for getting SMU to the conference title game last year—and being the benefactor of some shoddy ACC officiating when his squad upset No. 10 Miami in overtime weeks back; how come that genius wasn’t on display in a 13-12 road loss at Wake Forest and how come Lashlee wasn’t taken to task for that 5-3 record going into the game with the Canes, after losing two games to in-state rivals TCU and Baylor.
If anything, it was kid-gloves and a reminder that the loss to the Demon Deacons was his first-ever regular season ACC stumble—over a two-year span—and a three-loss season gets buried in the fact SMU is still in the conference title hunt.
Meanwhile the narrative with Miami; that both Louisville and SMU were ‘bad losses’ while both the Cardinals and Mustangs are never deemed bad, outside of the context the Canes lost to both.
Make it make sense.
Miami with a more-impressive win over North Carolina State than Notre Dame had; the Canes up 31-0 at the half while the Irish were in a 10-7 battle—not even a blip in on the national radar—but the Irish smack around a Syracuse team that started a lacrosse player at quarterback; it’s front page news as their win was more impressive than the Canes prevailing 38-10, after the second string defense gave up a late touchdown in a 38-3 ball game.
The rigged system and anti-Miami narrative; it’s something that most of us have learned to live with over the years—something not worth even bringing up at this level because it’s the game the Canes have been forced to play; forever paying for those 1980s-era sins and rosters full of inner city local kids turning the entire sport of college football on its ear in such brash fashion.
THE HATE US CAUSE THEY AIN’T US
The elation from a nation when No. 1 Miami was toppled by No. 2 Penn State, 14-10 in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl—such glee and jubilation as Heisman-winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde threw five interceptions and gave the game away to an inferior opponent; the Canes “deserved it” after rocking army fatigues on the flight west—score one for the ‘good guys’ and Joe Paterno; whose sins in latter years proved to be much nastier than end zone celebrating and trash talk.
Miami gets hosed on a phantom fumble at Notre Dame in 1988—Cleveland Gary down at the one-yard line—and nobody bats an eye as the Irish go on to win a national championship and a great Hurricanes team is out of the mix after that one-point loss in South Bend.
Outrage? Please. They couldn’t have cared less—and year later the Irish made a documentary about that game and title run, where almost four decades later the non-fumble remains a footnote.
Snubbed of a title shot in 2000 after beating No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Virginia Tech—in an era where bigger wins were the driving force; not this newly-imposed ‘better losses’ energy—college football’s version of a saint, Bobby Bowden lobbying for his Seminoles to get into the title game despite Miami beating his squad head-to-head; hosed that year and another title stolen in 2002 on a controversial pass interference call; zero outrage as Ohio State dethroned the 2001 champs and ended a 34-game win-streak.
Nobody cares when Miami is the fall guy; which is why Jimmy Johnson had a parting shot for his Hurricanes at the end of that 1988 season when leaving for the Dallas Cowboys—beat Notre Dame (they did; 27-10) and never leave games in the hands of the referees, as Miami is always playing the opposing team and the zebras.
Sounds like a persecution complex or conspiracy theory, until you really unpack it—horribly-officiated games against Louisville and especially SMU; where a couple correct calls arguably has Miami 10-0 and No. 2 in the nation right now—but the Hurricanes know they’re to blame for allowing either of those games to be in the referees’ hands.
Some shoddy calls at Virginia Tech last week, as well—a missed hold and phantom face-mask both leading to the Hokies two touchdowns—while a clear ball hitting the ground on third-and-long was called a catch and the home team wound up getting three tries to convert on fourth-and-short, doing so on the final shot … but a moot point as Miami took care of business in a 34-17 win the zebras couldn’t impact via incompetence.
Miami is its own worst-enemy this season as the Hurricanes have the talent and roster to be an undefeated squad right now on a clear cut path to a conference title game and the College Football Playoff—but that in itself doesn’t excuse the injustice of trash officiating or a rigged system that continues on a weekly basis to disparage this team and to deem then not playoff-worthy.
We’ve taken Miami to task for a turnover-marred loss to Louisville and a horribly-called offensive game plan at SMU—but neither of those losses can distract from what this rigged system is doing to Miami down the stretch this season.
AS MUST-WIN A MUST-WIN GAME THERE IS
This is a good and dangerous football team worthy of the College Football Playoffs—but only if Cristobal proves it in the biggest game of his career at Pittsburgh on Saturday—because the flip side to winning and proving the Hurricanes belong; the complete opposite.
The fall-out from a loss to the Panthers; it will make last year’s loss at Syracuse feel like a walk in the park.
Yes, it sucked to waste a generational offense in 2024—but that’s nothing compared to a good-enough offense and a pissing away a championship-caliber defense this year.
Miami wasn’t going to run the gauntlet of a four-team College Football Playoffs with a Swiss cheese defense in 2024; the magic of Cam Ward barely handled the rigors of Virginia Tech, Cal and Louisville, before a good Georgia Tech defense slowed his roll.
This Hurricanes team is different; Miami is balanced and dangerous—and if it can overcome sub-freezing temperatures at Pittsburgh—it can absolutely get hot in the postseason.
Does that mean a 2024-era Ohio State-like run could be in the cards? Too soon to tell, but also impossible to count out—Miami just needs to earn their chance notching that tenth win of the season and beating a beatable Pittsburgh team; one that the Canes have the manpower to out-talent—but will also have to out-work, out-scheme and out-execute.
Everything is on the line this weekend; all or nothing like Miami hasn’t seen in a while as the stakes are as high as ever—where hope is alive at 10-2—while the 9-3 flip side delves into pure misery and attacks on Cristobal that will be like nothing he’s ever deal with, as year four showed so much promise and will end with a vulgar thud.
The roster is pretty much healthy; all-everything safety Keionte Scott the only real key player sidelined—so it’s a healthy defensive line, a full stable of running backs, clutch receivers in the fold—the return of veteran CJ Daniels is huge—and an almost-fully loaded secondary; meaning it’s The Beck Show, as Pittsburgh will try what Florida State and others have in the past; to slow down the run and to force the veteran quarterback to win one with his arm.
Pittsburgh is beatable; this isn’t Miami playing a juggernaut—cold weather is the biggest challenge—which can’t stand in the way of achieving everything, or sitting with nothing.
It’s all on the line, Mario. Are you and this program as tough culture-wise as you say you are?
If so, welcome to 10-2, a strong argument for the College Football Playoffs and a Saturday afternoon where things could break Miami’s way for an unexpected ACC title game berth.
If not, welcome to your biggest nightmare and the most-hellish off-season in your career.
Those are the stakes when two winnable games are given away and both mulligans are burned up by Halloween weekend, jefe. Burn the boats and get it done. There is no looking back.
Giving you the benefit of the doubt here as I can’t imagine the alternative.
THE CALL: Miami 30, Pittsburgh 20
Christian Bello has been covering University of Miami athletics since the mid-nineties. Getting his start with CanesTime, he eventually launched allCanesBlog—which led to a featured columnist stint with BleacherReport. He’s since rolled out the unfiltered, ItsAUThing.com where he’ll use his spare time to put decades of U-related knowledge to use for those who care to read. When he’s not writing about ‘The U’, Bello is a brand storyteller for some exciting companies and individuals—as well as a guitarist and songwriter for his Miami-bred band Company Jones, who released their debut album “The Glow” in 2021. Hit him on Twitter for all things U-related @ItsAUThingBLOG.
