Get to know the Miami Hurricanes: Syracuse football’s week-11 opponent in 2025 season

The 2024 meeting between Syracuse football and Miami was so memorable that the ACC wanted to see it again in 2025. After pulling off an epic upset in the Dome last November, a game that ruined Miami’s College Football Playoff chances, Fran Brown’s team heads to South Beach this November for a rematch with the Hurricanes. Let’s take an early look at this year’s Miami team.

Miami’s head coach: Mario Cristobal

Cristobal is a Miami guy through and through. He was born in Miami and went to high school five miles from the University of Miami campus. Naturally, he attended the U and was a part of two national championship teams. Cristobal was even a First-Team All-Big East offensive tackle his senior season.

After a brief career in NFL Europe, Cristobal jumped right into the coaching ranks, serving as a grad assistant at his alma mater from 1998 to 2000. He spent three seasons as an assistant at Rutgers under old friend Greg Schiano before returning to Miami as an assistant from 2004 to 2006. Cristobal then got his first job as a head coach in 2007, taking over a Florida International program that went winless the previous year.

By his fourth year at FIU, Cristobal took the Panthers to a bowl game. Alas, one bad season was enough to get him fired after the 2012 season. However, he quickly landed on his feet, spending four years as an assistant to Nick Saban at Alabama before landing at Oregon as the offensive coordinator in 2017 under Willie Taggart. When Taggart left for Florida State a year later, Cristobal took over the Ducks. In four full seasons at Oregon, Cristobal went 35-12, winning two Pac-12 titles.

Of course, when Miami came calling, Cristobal didn’t hesitate to go back to his hometown, signing a 10-year deal to coach the Hurricanes. After going 12-13 and 6-10 in ACC play over his first two seasons, Cristobal led the Hurricanes to a breakout season in 2024, going 10-3 despite dropping the season-finale to Syracuse and losing the Pop Tarts Bowl to Iowa State.

Last meeting with Syracuse: Syracuse 42, Miami 38 (2024)

No Syracuse fan has to look deep in their memory bank for this one. After falling behind 21-0 early, the Orange made the greatest comeback in program history to upset the Hurricanes, 42-38. Words aren’t enough to describe this game, as it’s a safe bet that it will remain in Syracuse lore for a long time to come.

Series history

Last year’s meeting with Miami was just the second since Syracuse moved to the ACC. The other game came in 2017 when Eric Dungey and company ran out of gas in a competitive 27-19 loss. Prior to that, the last Syracuse-Miami game was in 2003, before the Hurricanes took off for the ACC. From 1990 to 2003, the Orange and Hurricanes met all but one year. Unfortunately, Syracuse wins were a rarity during that stretch, although Donovan McNabb and friends gave the ‘Canes a memorable 66-13 shellacking in the Dome in 1998. Nevertheless, Miami leads the all-time series 16-8.

Miami’s 2024 season

For more than two months, the Hurricanes were undoubtedly among the best teams in the country. They opened the season by thrashing in-state foe Florida 41-17 for the first of nine consecutive wins to open the season. However, the Hurricanes lost to both Georgia Tech and Syracuse in November. Those losses kept Miami out of the ACC Championship Game and also cost them a spot in the College Football Playoff. Miami also lost a back-and-forth battle in the Pop Tarts Bowl to Iowa State 42-41, turning a 9-0 start into a 10-3 finish.

Miami’s key returning players

The Hurricanes had three players with at least 400 rushing yards last season, and two of them will be back in 2025. Junior Mark Fletcher and sophomore Jordan Lyle highlight an experienced backfield that will be running behind a veteran-laden offensive line. However, the same can’t be said for Miami’s receiving corps, which loses its top three players from a year ago. The silver lining is the return of tight end Elijah Arroyo, who caught 35 passes, including seven touchdowns, in 2024.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Hurricanes will have some familiar faces leading the way up front. Defensive end Akheem Mesidor returns after tying for the team lead in sacks last season. Rueben Bain Jr. is the other projected starter at defensive end, chipping in 3.5 sacks of his own in 2024. Senior Ahmad Moten Sr. also saw regular action at nose tackle last season. At linebacker, Miami loses leading tackler Francisco Mauigoa, who was a fifth-round pick of the New York Jets. But second-leading tackler Wesley Bissainthe returns for his senior season to anchor that position along with junior Raul Aguirre, who also brings experience to the Miami defense.

Miami’s notable additions

After getting Cam Ward out of the transfer portal in 2024, the Hurricanes hit a home run in the portal again in 2025, signing Georgia transfer Carson Beck. In two seasons at Georgia, Beck threw for nearly 7,500 yards with 52 touchdown passes. He was also 24-3 as a starter and projects as one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in 2025.

With a new quarterback, it matters less that most of Miami’s wide receiver corps is new to the program as well. LSU transfer CJ Daniels has spent five years in college and was a 1,000-yard receiver for the Tigers in 2023. Former Florida Atlantic and Cincinnati receiver Tony Johnson is a little less accomplished, although he has 108 receptions and 13 touchdowns across his three college seasons. BYU transfer Keelan Marion and three four-star recruits, most notably Joshua Moore, add depth at wide receiver behind Daniels and Johnson.

Meanwhile, Miami’s secondary has been almost entirely rebuilt through the portal. Former Auburn cornerback Keionte Scott and Michigan State transfer Charles Brantley add to Miami’s experience at the cornerback position, with Washington State transfer Ethan O’Connor and Wisconsin transfer Xavier Lucas adding an infusion of talent but less experience. Meanwhile, Tennessee transfer Jakobe Thomas and Jacksonville State transfer Zechariah Poyser could immediately become among the top safety tandems in the ACC.

Miami’s 2025 season outlook

After last season, anything less than a spot in the College Football Playoff will be considered a failure for Miami. With Beck and a few talented wide receivers joining the program, as well as two experienced running backs, the offense shouldn’t miss a beat, despite losing the top overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Defensively, there are some questions lingering from last season. However, the amount of talent added through the portal should give the Hurricanes a chance to improve on that side of the ball and give Beck the support he needs and was accustomed to receiving at Georgia.

One downside for the Hurricanes in 2025 is that they won’t be able to ease their way into the season. Miami opens with a home game against Notre Dame. The Canes also play Florida on the third Saturday in September and visit Florida State in early October. A mid-October home game with Louisville won’t be a cakewalk either. The Hurricanes also have November road games against SMU, Virginia Tech, and Pitt, all of which present potential challenges. If Miami can secure at least 10 wins against that schedule, it should be enough to reach the CFP. However, there aren’t too many games on Miami’s schedule that anyone should categorize as easy.

When and where Miami plays Syracuse in 2025

Syracuse will travel to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday, November 8.

Learn more about Miami: https://caneswarning.com/

Prediction: Miami 34, Syracuse 23

The returning players on Miami’s roster will surely have Syracuse’s visit circled on their schedule, hoping for a chance at redemption. With that extra bit of motivation, not to mention a clear talent advantage, the Hurricanes should win this game comfortably. Of course, nobody believes that Fran Brown’s team will go down easily. But the Hurricanes have legitimate CFP potential, and the Orange will struggle to keep pace for 60 minutes.