this year was a helluva run ... but were we a year early in terms of our roster construction? i struggle with it some because of indiana's meteoric rise, but are they just incredibly ahead of schedule? it seems as if our roster next year will be the most complete it's ever been
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are we a year early?
- Thread starter ageezy
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I felt in 2024 we were definitely ahead of schedule because of Cam.
I felt like 2025 we were supposed to reach the playoffs. Reaching the championship game may have been ahead of schedule, but Mario’s teams are made for the playoffs when football plays and games are a grind.
I felt like 2025 we were supposed to reach the playoffs. Reaching the championship game may have been ahead of schedule, but Mario’s teams are made for the playoffs when football plays and games are a grind.
next year's team will be a blend of '24 and '25 teams.
a more dynamic offense than '25 but not quite as good as '24 (Cam >Mensah) and significantly better defense than '24 but not quite as good as '25 (losing 2 1st round DEs will always hurt).
if we stay healthy, we should be able to make another run in the playoffs...
a more dynamic offense than '25 but not quite as good as '24 (Cam >Mensah) and significantly better defense than '24 but not quite as good as '25 (losing 2 1st round DEs will always hurt).
if we stay healthy, we should be able to make another run in the playoffs...
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I really think our defense will still be top 10. I know Corey has something up his sleeve. He has chess pieces he can move around. I predict not much of a fall off on defense.
ShadowSpring
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I think the D can be better. Hetherman has kept things simple in 2025. I think we will see a D more similar to Indiana. Tons of pressure from everywhere and even more rotations of coverage post snap.
JG13
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2026 team will have the highest floor in Mario's tenure with a good chance to win it all IMO. I think a lot of the ACC games we play will be more blowouts than not...then the playoffs arrive and we have a better more dynamic offense to score more OR grind you down if needed.
It wouldn’t shock me if next seasons offense were on par with ‘24. Cam is more dynamic for college, but factoring in the WR upgrades and RB room with Mensah I don’t think it’s far fetched.
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Joe E said we were a year ahead of schedule. As I’ve mentioned, especially after the SMU loss, no one saw that run on the horizon.
We lost some monsters on defense but there are adequate replacements in the pipeline especially DL.
With Mensah, I think we can be better on offense.
We lost some monsters on defense but there are adequate replacements in the pipeline especially DL.
With Mensah, I think we can be better on offense.
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amanan28
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We overachieved this past year no doubt.
We have enough pieces to make another run, the offense is dynamic enough with Mensah and crew to not need the defense to be as dominant as it was. However, O-Line depth is concerning.
While the updated playoff schedule is annoying for fans, it does provide some grace when injuries creep up.
We have enough pieces to make another run, the offense is dynamic enough with Mensah and crew to not need the defense to be as dominant as it was. However, O-Line depth is concerning.
While the updated playoff schedule is annoying for fans, it does provide some grace when injuries creep up.
I just don't think the O will put up the numbers it did in '24 because:
1. it won't need to because the defense is much better
2. Mensah, while a very good college QB, isn't Cam Ward. Ward went #1 overall. Hard to match that.
3. the OL may not be as good with 3 new starters (I count mccoy and samson as co-starters from this year) and younger overall.
4. that '24 offense was historically good. the best in the country and our best ever. hard to do that again.
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And win the conference outright **** it.
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Agree. Ward is the most talented qb we have ever had, but overall the offense is more complete and should be more explosive with Mensah. I think it could be better than 2024, the offense frequently put Ward in 3rd and long situations, he was a wizard and still got 1st downs. I don’t think 2026 offense will put Mensah in as many bad situations.
As for defense, I think the secondary and interior DL will be better than 2025. Hard to replace Bain/Mesidor but Miami still has more talent than Indiana did at DE this year, so it could still be one of the best defenses in cfb.
Call me crazy but I think Miami goes undefeated in the regular season.
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Mensah also throws a better deep ball than Ward.
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Yes. I think Miami can put up 45 points per game with a lot more explosives. 3rd down will be tough to beat though, Ward was amazing.