The Hurricanes suffered an unexpected loss to SMU last week, their second defeat of the season. With only four games left, the timing couldn’t be worse for HC Mario Cristobal. The setback has sparked conversations among Jon Gruden, Dave Portnoy, and a Miami legend, all weighing in on Cristobal’s future and what the loss means for the program going forward.

On the 3rd November episode of Wake Up Barstool, ex-Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, media personality Dave Portnoy, and ex-Miami TE legend Greg Olsen joined on the podcast to discuss UM’s loss to SMU last week. According to Greg, the loss was especially disappointing given that the Hurricanes were in contention for the ACC title. The defeat also dealt a major blow to Mario Cristobal’s hopes for a playoff spot, indicating another season of frustration for fans.

“It’s disappointing to now give up two after you find yourself clearly not only in the hunt to be in the ACC championship and compete for the first-ever conference title, which is hard to believe since they’ve moved to the ACC, but it felt like they had a clear path to making it to the college football playoff.” Greg Olson said on the podcast. When Cristobal was signed, he penned a 10-year, $80 million deal that would see him get paid $8 million per year. The Miami administration had full faith in Cristobal to bring glory to the Canes. However, he hasn’t been able to do that yet, and the SMU loss proves it.

The loss has put Mario Cristobal on notice, as he now risks going a fourth straight season in Miami without a major trophy. The bigger issue appears to be the Hurricanes’ inability to capitalize on their early-season momentum. According to Greg Olsen, this recurring pattern shows that Miami hasn’t been competitive enough when it matters most, in the latter part of the season.

“This continues to be the hurdle (Miami) just can’t get over. We can’t sustain that after early-season September success. We can’t sustain it into the back half of the season. And again, it’s not criticism. It’s not that we don’t like them. I root for them. But the reality of the college football landscape is it’s very competitive. It’s real. And you’ve got to come to play every single week. And they just haven’t been able to do that.” Greg Olson asserted.

The battle for the ACC title is heating up, with Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, and Louisville all in contention. If the Hurricanes had not fallen against SMU, then they would have still been in that mix. Instead, the loss has all but ended their playoff hopes.

Mario Cristobal’s playoff hopes are in the balance with a difficult ACC schedule

To keep their playoff chances alive, Mario Cristobal will need to guide his team to four straight wins. That will prove to be a difficult task, especially with Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh waiting in the final two weeks of the regular season. But they are not the only ACC teams left in the Miami Hurricanes’ path.

The Canes will face 16th-place Syracuse next at Hard Rock Stadium. This should be an easy matchup for Mario Cristobal’s men, as Syracuse has struggled against ACC opponents, with five defeats and only one win against them. After that, Miami will take on NC State, which is just below them at the 8th position in the ACC standings.

And lastly, they will face the main bosses of the ACC: Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. Even one loss against either of these teams would mean the end of the season for the Hurricanes.