Mario Cristobal Believes This Year's Team is Good Enough to Win a National Championship
In this story:
The Miami Hurricanes have a ton of expectations entering this season, and that starts at the top with head coach Mario Cristobal.
As secretive as the Hurricanes and Cristobal want to be, they have internal expectations of competing for a national championship, not just an ACC Championship. That starts with the Hurricanes facing No. 6 Notre Dame Aug. 31.
Cristobal highlighted some of those expectations, talking to Hurricanes and NFL legend Michael Irvin during his preview week ahead of taking on the Fighting Irish.
"The mindset, and we help with that, is a lot of saying 'Miami back'," Cristobal said. "You know, we look back to take those principles and values and bring them forward. We're about taking Miami forward.. We would rather get to the point where Miami is here as opposed to saying Miami is back."
With that mindset, he also knows that this team is well-rounded compared to last season. He knows that this can be a team that can go far and knows that the expectations are "limitless" going into the season.
“This team is limitless. It is,” Cristobal responded. “The expectation here for us, we all came here to win not one but multiple championships. But we don’t get in the mode of bragging or boasting about what we’re going to do. We’re more focused on how we’re going to prepare to accomplish our goals. That’s the difference.”
How to Watch: No.6 Notre Dame vs. Miami
Who: Notre Dame and the Miami Hurricanes
When: Sunday, Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
TV: ABC
Radio: FM 104.3 WQAM
Last Outing, Notre Dame: The last time the Fighting Irish saw the field was in defeat in the National Championship to Ohio State, 34-23.
Last Outing, Miami: The Hurricanes ended their campaign against the Iowa State Cyclones in a controversial defeat, not because of what was going on during the game, but the conversation around eventual No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward only playing a half of football.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams met, Miami handled Notre Dame decisively, 41–8, which shifted the Hurricanes' culture for the better.
Read More Miami Hurricanes Football News:
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
Follow all social media platforms to stay up to date with everything Miami Hurricanes-related: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and BlueSky.
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.