Realistic expectations for Miami football in 2024

Mario Cristobal has been faced with a ton of criticism over the past two years after returning to his alma mater because Miami football expects more than a 12-13 record in two seasons.

The Hurricanes are project to start the season in the AP Top 25 which is a bit of a surprise given the fact that they just finished 7-6 a year ago. The team should be leaps and bounds better, however, with Cam Ward transferring in at quarterback after a successful one-year stint at Washington State following FCS success.

The talent on the roster has upgraded as the Hurricanes are bringing in the No. 6 recruiting class and the 10th-best transfer class in the country. But it won't matter how much talent is coming in if Cristobal can't maximize it.

Miami returns 10 starters -- five on each side of the ball -- and that's not a bad thing because Cristobal has supplemented the roster with some impressive newcomers.

With Ward at quarterback and one of the best crop of transfers coming in, the expectations should be playoff contention at the very least. Is that realistic, however?

Looking at the schedule, I think Miami starts the season 5-1 with an opening loss at Florida. The Hurricanes will then lose to Louisville and Florida State back-to-back before beating Duke. The Georgia Tech game is going to be a challenge but I can see the Hurricanes sneaking away with a win. They'll then beat Wake Forest and steal another tight win at Syracuse to end the regular season.

Realistically, I can see the Hurricanes going either 9-3 or 8-4 this season and that would be a nice step in the right direction for Cristobal.