The ACC preseason conversations have narrowed to a single debate: will Mario Cristobal’s Miami finally topple Clemson, or will the Tigers keep their years-long stranglehold on the league? On paper, the Hurricanes have every tool, from a veteran, top-five offensive line to coordinator Shannon Dawson’s warp-speed scheme. Yet skeptics pointed to one gaping void after Cam Ward left school early for the NFL draft, taking 4,300 yards and 41 touchdowns with him. Someone had to replace that firepower, or the Canes would slip back into the eight-win mush of recent seasons.

That “someone” is Carson Beck, who makes his South Florida debut Sunday night. And he could not ask for a nastier first test than No. 6 Notre Dame, owner of the nation’s third-best scoring defense last fall. Still, Cristobal exudes calm. He has spent the past eight months studying every snap his new quarterback played in Athens, and midway through spring practice, the coach concluded the transfer was the emotional upgrade the locker room craved. 

“We’ve watched just about every possible game that we could on him. And what sticks out about him, he’s a tremendous competitor,” Cristobal said while talking on Bear Bets, recounting marathon film sessions with Dawson. The coach admitted the tape did not capture everything. “He’s a big dude…strong and he could run. But I never quite got a feel until he got here for his ability to lead and to galvanize people.” That intangible clicked immediately. Despite limited live reps in March, Beck “was helping to lead meetings, was bringing people in, was helping with the protections, understand the run game.” The result, Cristobal believes, is a roster that now “naturally gravitates” toward its new signal-caller.

Cristobal’s favorite discovery came away from cameras and reporters. “He is a relentless worker, man. He’s in here at all hours,” the coach said. That grind pairs nicely with a front five that surrendered just 14 sacks last year and returns All-ACC tackles Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola. If Beck’s pocket presence matches his homework, Dawson can afford to lean on downhill backs Mark Fletcher Jr. and Jordan Lyle early, then unleash play-action bombs to five-star freshman JoJo Trader once the Irish safeties cheat up.

FanDuel pegs Miami’s win total at 9.5, with the under a slight favorite, proof that believers and doubters remain evenly split. Sunday will tip that balance. Should Beck carve up Marcus Freeman’s veteran secondary, the hype meter goes to eleven and Clemson suddenly feels a little heat from the south. If the Hurricanes stumble, the talk will shift to how long it takes a portal quarterback to mesh with a brand-new receiving corps. Either way, Cristobal already sounds convinced he landed the missing piece. Miami fans will pack Hard Rock Stadium expecting proof, and the ACC title race might hinge on whether Carson Beck delivers it.

Sizing up Notre Dame’s mystery offense

Cristobal’s praise for Carson Beck flowed earlier, but the Miami head coach knows Sunday will hinge just as much on how his own defense handles the unknown across the line of scrimmage. Oddsmakers still have the Hurricanes as narrow 2.5-point underdogs to No. 6 Notre Dame despite the Hard Rock backdrop. A big reason is the secrecy surrounding Marcus Freeman’s quarterback pick, a cat-and-mouse game that kept Miami’s staff grinding spring tape from both CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey while installing contingency checks into every coverage call.

“They’re both great players, really talented guys,” Cristobal said. “When you watch tape on both those guys, both high school and then some of the spring stuff, you see guys that are really accurate, that are mobile, that have a great command of the offense.” He added that the Irish depth chart “has talent all over,” which is a fair read of a veteran-heavy lineup that returns starters and just added an amazing portal pass-catcher. Cristobal’s scouting report notes that either quarterback inherits NFL-caliber protection up front and enough weapons to punish even the smallest busts.

Cristobal went deeper: “They’ve got as good of a running back tandem as college football’s seen in a long time…complemented by a massive, physical offensive line,” before warning that the receivers “make contested catches…make people miss.” That balanced threat forces Miami’s linebackers to respect the run keys while corners lock in on sudden double-moves. If the Canes can muddy those reads, Beck and the offense may not need fireworks, but if Notre Dame’s backs start churning, Miami’s playoff hopes could be playing catch-up from the first whistle.