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Is this the biggest game(Pitt) of Mario's Miami tenure?

407cane said:
it's a moving target

we didn't know it last year but Syracuse was the biggest game and we lost

we thought ND was the biggest game of his tenure (turns out it didnt even matter lmao)

if we win and somehow get in then yes this is the biggest game

if we win and get left out of the playoffs then Syracuse last year still had more stakes on the line as that was true win-and-in
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*You didn't know it*
 
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if ole miss loses and we have a reasonably good chance of a win and in scenario, then yes. But if not, then a win still doesn’t necessarily put is in the playoffs. Unlike Syracuse last year when we lost a trip to charlotte and the CFP in 3 quarters
 
Wins are precious in college football. That's why so many games feel like "the biggest" every season. This is clearly one of them, but only because we lost to Brohm and Miami's JV team.

Hopefully, Mario and the Canes route Pitt and we all laugh about how anxious we were.
 
Mario has 100% raised the floor here but that was low hanging fruit as far as I’m concerned. It’s still not written but no playoff berth in the first 4 years is a disappointment especially when you consider we moved to a 12 team playoff last year. Yes I think this is his most important game so far. Even if we disappoint and miss the playoffs again, Miami finishing November 3-1 is a major improvement on the past. Got to get it done.
 
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Not sure about biggest, but shedding the reputation of a program that always falters late season would be huge, as would another 10 win season.

Still an overall disappointment this season because this year‘s team is better than last years, but not a total loss if we beat Pitt and win the bowl game.
 
10-2 this season is much bigger because IMHO, the Canes are good enough to make the CFP and actually win some playoff games. Last season, the Canes defense made it difficult for the Canes to beat any team with a decent offense.

The 2025 Canes defense is obviously better and the 2025 offense had their midseason struggles, but has recently found its groove with a group of growing freshmen who are internally recruited and developed.

The Canes recruits from high school and the portal, and no one can question that the Canes have improved on paper. So far, the Canes and Penn State are the biggest paper tigers in college football. If the Canes win at Pitt, and especially the Canes beat the spread, that will signal the Canes have taken that critical next by the program on the field.

IMHO, a record of 10-2 in the regular season, a bowl win or the CFP , will signal a vital step forward for CMC’s Canes program
 
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k9cane said:
So I was asked if this was the biggest game of Mario Cristobal's coaching career by a few people over social media. It's an interesting question. My view is that it's certainly the biggest of this season (thus far). And I hope there are more 'big/bigger' games in this 25 season. But some of that is outside of UM's control. My view is that regardless of the result of the Pitt game Cristobal is doing a really good job of elevating the floor of the program and moving it forward.

But I do think this should be addressed before the game tomorrow because results can lead to emotional responses that you may regret, or cloud your perspective. Overall, I really like Cristobal and the job he's doing at Miami. I'm a staunch advocate of his, believe it or not. I want this to work with him because of his ties with Miami. At the same time, his overall approach to games and managing them is something I'll never completely agree with. But he's the coach, I'm just a fan with an opinion

My view is this, regardless of how this season ends -- even if it's a national title or deep playoff run -- that SMU defeat has to be one that Cristobal and the staff examine during the off-season and make sure that never happens again, I have a theory that every coach has a game/loss that haunts them -- but they learn and get better from it. For the great Jimmy Johnson it was the 1987 Fiesta Bowl. (He still hasn't truly gotten over that defeat to this day.)

With that said, Cristobal has really upgraded the talent level of this program, which was reflected in last years NFL Draft and subsequent ones. Tomorrow may or may not be the last game in the Miami careers of Ruben Bain and Francis Mauigoa. But those guys to me symbolize the raised floor Cristobal has achieved with this program. And this years freshman class has been excellent.

So yeah, tomorrow vs PItt is a big one. But it's not really the end-all and be-all. Narratives can change very quickly in this thing.
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the thing is-

EVERY GAME IS THE BIGGEST FOR MARIO.

until he makes it to the playoffs, he has to win nearly EVERY game. as we see from last season and this season.

so each game moving forward is THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME.

even winning the Pop Tarts would be huge.
 
JamesQuall said:
UF last year and ND this year, I would argue were must win games. Thankfully we won those. We seem to lose the ones we're penciled in for though. Those are the ones that actually mean more in the long run though...
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Mario is the ANTI-JAMES FRANKLIN

Franklin would beat everyone except the best teams on the schedule.

Mario would beat the best teams and lose to double digit underdogs.

not sure which is worse to have as a head coach.
 
LMCane said:
Mario is the ANTI-JAMES FRANKLIN

Franklin would beat everyone except the best teams on the schedule.

Mario would beat the best teams and lose to double digit underdogs.

not sure which is worse to have as a head coach.
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Losing to double digit underdogs is 1000% worse. You can justify losing to "better" teams. It is frustrating and sucks but leading all of FBS in games lost as double digit favorites is not something anybody wants.
 
No.... biggest game to me means winning would be just as impactful as losing. We can win tomorrow and still be left out and have nothing to show for this season except a meaningless bowl game... we lose, same exact outcome but Guaranteed. Now if the winning(tomorrow) part GUARANTEED us a spot, I would say yes.
 
Carrying Red Star GIF by FK Crvena zvezda
 
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bobbydigius said:
Mario has 100% raised the floor here but that was low hanging fruit as far as I’m concerned. It’s still not written but no playoff berth in the first 4 years is a disappointment especially when you consider we moved to a 12 team playoff last year. Yes I think this is his most important game so far. Even if we disappoint and miss the playoffs again, Miami finishing November 3-1 is a major improvement on the past. Got to get it done.
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Would be 4-1.

We're already 3-1.
 
NC_Canes_11 said:
This is actually setting up to be a great situation for Mario. He can go 10-2 and everyone will blame the committee for no playoff spot, instead of the real culprit, Mario.
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This is exactly the type of game Mario will lose.
 
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