Mario Cristobal has never been the one to take credit for things, but he is just as tough on giving that credit to anyone else. The Miami head coach sat with John Canzano on The Bald Faced Truth podcast this week, where he treaded waters carefully when asked about his successor’s success in Eugene. Oregon is currently 5-0 and was ranked second in the nation heading into its bye week. They have been riding a massively successful record of 40-6 under Lanning over the last three-plus seasons.

Canzano went on with an interesting question during the interview. He said that Cristobal’s success was the flame that gave the Ducks the idea to stick with a similar blueprint in their coaches. His statement was, “I look at Oregon and Dan Lanning, and I see like Oregon figured something out,” Canzano said. “They went from, hey, we’re going to have the same coaching staff for like 30 years,’ to Willie Taggart, and then you, and they get some success, and then here comes Dan Lanning. I think if there’s no Mario Cristobal success, maybe Oregon goes with a different blueprint. But former Alabama guy, guy’s a really good recruiter.” When you look at it, it’s a fair point. Both of Saban’s assistants have had massive success at Oregon.

But Mario Cristobal denied both his credit as well as the credit that should be given to Dan Lanning for his success at Oregon. He said, “Oregon was always doing great before myself, and anyone else ever got there, and Oregon is doing great now. And again, I don’t ever think the guys that came before myself, I should say, ever got enough credit.” He basically put forth an argument that said the construction of the dominant Oregon program was done before him or Lanning’s arrival. He is not discrediting Lanning’s success, but also making it clear that the program’s success is not because of a single coach.

The sublime reality is that both Cristobal and Lanning have succeeded in Oregon, and while they have had a part in Oregon’s present dominance, they’ve learned a lot from it, too. Cristobal continued about the past coaches, “I mean, those guys, if you watch film, and that was one thing that was always kind of neat, is just going into the film bank of the schematically, what they did and how they made things work, and some of the great identifications in recruiting and development they did. It was incredible,” before adding, “So much was learned there, and you know what? And they’re doing awesome now as well. So always, you know, always happy to see them do well.” That last line was the most amount of credit he gave to Dan Lanning, and that too, very indirectly.

Right now, though, Cristobal has turned the Hurricanes into a legitimate national title contender in his fourth year. He posted a 10-win season in 2024, but this year, Miami is looking like one of the best contenders for the Natty. Lanning, meanwhile, is in the exact same boat. He has positioned Oregon for another playoff run after leading them to a Big Ten title and the top seed last year. If the rest of the season goes on the same lines for them, these dominant programs might be set to meet each other in the College Football Playoffs in what might be one of the most exciting matchups of the season.

Why Miami’s dominance could be its downfall

Josh Pate is one of those few people who is resisting the Miami hype right now. And he has one point that should make Mario Cristobal nervous. The Hurricanes are looking all pretty and dangerous at No. 2 in the AP top 25. They’ve beaten ranked opponents like Notre Dame, South Florida, and FSU, and the playoff path looks about as clear as it gets for an ACC team. But Pate issued a stark warning on the October 6 episode of his show, pointing out that Miami hasn’t actually been tested by an equal. “Miami hadn’t won anything yet, so there is no guarantee for them. This is all new for them, at least this version of Miami,” Pate explained.

Pate’s concern is not that Miami will lose. The concern is that while they’re winning against an inferior competition, they’ll develop some bad habits that get exposed when teams face elite competition. “There are a lot of teams out there that play on a really difficult schedule, and they’re going to face teams that are their equal talent-wise,” Josh said. “If Miami loses, it will be a fairly big upset, and they will have lost to an inferior roster.” It’s the trap game that reveals whether a team is locked in or just going through the motions, and Cristobal better make sure his guys don’t start believing their own press clippings.