Josh Pate picked Miami on his show, and explained that pick even further on the CanesinSight Podcast. He recorded another show Thursday and elaborated why he believes in Mario Cristobal.
Josh Pate: “I’m kind of on an island here. I’m not doubting Curt Cignetti — I’m just choosing to believe in Mario a little bit. Choosing to believe in Carson Beck. Who’s ever gone wrong doing such things?”
Josh Pate: “It would be massive. There’s no reason to be contrarian here — it would make Mario a legend in Coral Gables. A lot of guys have tried to resurrect Miami’s identity. He’s the one who actually did it.”
Josh Pate: “Before he got there, the last time Miami had back-to-back double-digit win seasons was 2002–03. An entire generation hadn’t seen this. And remember 2022 — 5-7, Middle Tennessee State beating Miami in Miami, Duke coming in and owning them. People thought Mario inherited a good roster. He didn’t.”
Josh Pate: “Sometimes your entry point is rock bottom. Sometimes you have to torch the barn and kill the rats. That’s about as close as you get to a full restart in major college football — and he knew it.”
Josh Pate: “He told everyone exactly what it would take, in graphic competitive detail. They were willing to bite the bullet in 2022 and 2023 rather than shortcut the rebuild.”
Josh Pate: “A lot of the criticism used to be, ‘He’s just a recruiter; his in-game decisions are questionable.’ You don’t really hear that lately. That didn’t just happen by accident — he took that personally. If your quarterback has accuracy issues, you work on accuracy. If your situational management is an issue, you either fix it or hire people who will.”
Josh Pate: “The intensity in that building is off the charts — not just this week, but on a random Tuesday in March during spring practice. It’s a different volume at Miami. It would feel like being dropped into a war zone.”
Josh Pate: “That climate turns off average people — and that’s the point. You don’t achieve at a peak level with average people. Mario Cristobal is not for everybody… but neither is Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, or Nick Saban.”
Josh Pate: “That’s part of the legacy: recreating that culture in a place where it hasn’t existed in a long time.”
Josh Pate: “After the Peach Bowl, I left thinking, ‘I might have just watched the national championship game.’ Indiana looked that good. Fast-forward a week, and I still ended up picking Miami.”
Josh Pate: “Part of that is emotion — I was vocal about Miami early in the year, people challenged me, and I was right. I wanted to plant the flag at the end.”
Josh Pate: “But the other part is film.”
Josh Pate: “Question one: Is Miami’s best good enough to beat Indiana? Yes.”
Josh Pate: “Question two: Do I need that for an entire season? No — I need it for four quarters.”
Josh Pate: “If Miami can make third downs look different for Indiana, if they can generate real pressure on Fernando Mendoza, and if Carson Beck plays the way he did against Ohio State — and they’re doing it in their own backyard — that’s enough to push them over the finish line.”
Josh Pate: “Indiana has been lethally efficient all year. Mendoza is playing higher-caliber football now than when he won the Heisman. If you let him get in rhythm like Oregon did — 11 of 14 on third down — you’re cooked.”
Josh Pate: “Here’s my concern: Miami dominated Ole Miss for a half and led by only four. Indiana is more efficient than Ole Miss. If Miami plays ‘perfect’ Miami ball — physical, line-of-scrimmage football — you might be looking at 17–10 or 21–14 late, and you’re still giving the ball back to Mendoza.”
Josh Pate: “If Indiana makes mistakes, Miami can win by two touchdowns. The problem? Indiana doesn’t make many.”
Josh Pate: “Miami brings a Deontay Wilder right hand — that’s different than anything Indiana has faced. Mark Fletcher is the best back they’ll see all year: a hammer who finds creases and finishes.”
Josh Pate: “But Indiana is the most efficient, technically sound team I’ve watched in a long time. Their understanding of every play — what the concept asks for — is elite.”
Josh Pate: “Five-on-three to the left, tight ends, motion — it should pop for 100 yards. The front slants inside, the guard climbs, and you think, ‘This is gone.’ Their nose guard keeps fighting through two blocks, tracks the cutback, and drags the back down for two yards. That strain, awareness, and detail? You see that on almost every snap.”
Josh Pate: “Who’s Indiana’s superhero? Mendoza. But how many 300-yard games did he have this year? One.”
Josh Pate: “They don’t take the field saying, ‘Tighten up the cape, we need you.’ That’s why I ultimately think they’re the better team, even if Miami has better individual talent.”
Josh Pate: “Still — there is absolutely a path for Miami. This is not a lottery ticket. It’s a real football case.”
Josh Pate: “I trust Miami in crunch time. I just trust Indiana more. They’re the most efficient team I’ve seen, maybe ever.”
Josh Pate: “It’s not that Indiana made the playoff again — it’s that their efficiency spiked to 10/10 across the board. That’s what feels abnormal for college football.”
Josh Pate: “I’m kind of on an island here. I’m not doubting Curt Cignetti — I’m just choosing to believe in Mario a little bit. Choosing to believe in Carson Beck. Who’s ever gone wrong doing such things?”
Josh Pate: “It would be massive. There’s no reason to be contrarian here — it would make Mario a legend in Coral Gables. A lot of guys have tried to resurrect Miami’s identity. He’s the one who actually did it.”
Josh Pate: “Before he got there, the last time Miami had back-to-back double-digit win seasons was 2002–03. An entire generation hadn’t seen this. And remember 2022 — 5-7, Middle Tennessee State beating Miami in Miami, Duke coming in and owning them. People thought Mario inherited a good roster. He didn’t.”
Josh Pate: “Sometimes your entry point is rock bottom. Sometimes you have to torch the barn and kill the rats. That’s about as close as you get to a full restart in major college football — and he knew it.”
Josh Pate: “He told everyone exactly what it would take, in graphic competitive detail. They were willing to bite the bullet in 2022 and 2023 rather than shortcut the rebuild.”
Josh Pate: “A lot of the criticism used to be, ‘He’s just a recruiter; his in-game decisions are questionable.’ You don’t really hear that lately. That didn’t just happen by accident — he took that personally. If your quarterback has accuracy issues, you work on accuracy. If your situational management is an issue, you either fix it or hire people who will.”
Josh Pate: “The intensity in that building is off the charts — not just this week, but on a random Tuesday in March during spring practice. It’s a different volume at Miami. It would feel like being dropped into a war zone.”
Josh Pate: “That climate turns off average people — and that’s the point. You don’t achieve at a peak level with average people. Mario Cristobal is not for everybody… but neither is Kirby Smart, Ryan Day, or Nick Saban.”
Josh Pate: “That’s part of the legacy: recreating that culture in a place where it hasn’t existed in a long time.”
Josh Pate: “After the Peach Bowl, I left thinking, ‘I might have just watched the national championship game.’ Indiana looked that good. Fast-forward a week, and I still ended up picking Miami.”
Josh Pate: “Part of that is emotion — I was vocal about Miami early in the year, people challenged me, and I was right. I wanted to plant the flag at the end.”
Josh Pate: “But the other part is film.”
Josh Pate: “Question one: Is Miami’s best good enough to beat Indiana? Yes.”
Josh Pate: “Question two: Do I need that for an entire season? No — I need it for four quarters.”
Josh Pate: “If Miami can make third downs look different for Indiana, if they can generate real pressure on Fernando Mendoza, and if Carson Beck plays the way he did against Ohio State — and they’re doing it in their own backyard — that’s enough to push them over the finish line.”
Josh Pate: “Indiana has been lethally efficient all year. Mendoza is playing higher-caliber football now than when he won the Heisman. If you let him get in rhythm like Oregon did — 11 of 14 on third down — you’re cooked.”
Josh Pate: “Here’s my concern: Miami dominated Ole Miss for a half and led by only four. Indiana is more efficient than Ole Miss. If Miami plays ‘perfect’ Miami ball — physical, line-of-scrimmage football — you might be looking at 17–10 or 21–14 late, and you’re still giving the ball back to Mendoza.”
Josh Pate: “If Indiana makes mistakes, Miami can win by two touchdowns. The problem? Indiana doesn’t make many.”
Josh Pate: “Miami brings a Deontay Wilder right hand — that’s different than anything Indiana has faced. Mark Fletcher is the best back they’ll see all year: a hammer who finds creases and finishes.”
Josh Pate: “But Indiana is the most efficient, technically sound team I’ve watched in a long time. Their understanding of every play — what the concept asks for — is elite.”
Josh Pate: “Five-on-three to the left, tight ends, motion — it should pop for 100 yards. The front slants inside, the guard climbs, and you think, ‘This is gone.’ Their nose guard keeps fighting through two blocks, tracks the cutback, and drags the back down for two yards. That strain, awareness, and detail? You see that on almost every snap.”
Josh Pate: “Who’s Indiana’s superhero? Mendoza. But how many 300-yard games did he have this year? One.”
Josh Pate: “They don’t take the field saying, ‘Tighten up the cape, we need you.’ That’s why I ultimately think they’re the better team, even if Miami has better individual talent.”
Josh Pate: “Still — there is absolutely a path for Miami. This is not a lottery ticket. It’s a real football case.”
Josh Pate: “I trust Miami in crunch time. I just trust Indiana more. They’re the most efficient team I’ve seen, maybe ever.”
Josh Pate: “It’s not that Indiana made the playoff again — it’s that their efficiency spiked to 10/10 across the board. That’s what feels abnormal for college football.”
