Joel Klatt Reveals When CFB World Will Know if the Miami Hurricanes are for Real

Thanks to standout transfer quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 10-ranked Miami Hurricanes have been one of the biggest stories of the college football season.

In two dominating wins over Florida and Florida A&M, Miami has looked the part of a national championship contender. The Hurricanes have outscored opponents 97-26, and Ward has lit up opposing secondaries to the tune of 689 yards and six touchdowns, which are tied for sixth- and eighth-most, respectively, in the NCAA.

But when will college football fans know if Miami is actually for real or just the beneficiary of an easy early season schedule? Well, Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt believes that answer will come six weeks from now when the Hurricanes host in-state rival Florida State on Oct. 26.

“When will we know for sure? Well, that’s going to be a little more difficult because you look at this schedule and you think to yourself, ‘There’s not a lot left,’” Klatt said on “The Joel Klatt Show.” “There’s only one ranked team left on the schedule — that’s Louisville right now, and that’s a road game. … For Miami, I’m going to know if it’s real against Florida State.

“And I get it. Florida State’s 0-2. They have not looked good. But this is still, based on the reports out there from this week, a $12 million roster. This is still a team that was undefeated a year ago. And more specifically and more importantly, this is their rival. You know Florida State is going to be all geeked up in order to play Miami. … I’m going to know that it’s real if they can line up and take care of their rival Florida State.”

Miami has two winnable games over the next two weeks against Ball State and South Florida, before back-to-back games against Virginia Tech and California — two teams that pose more of a challenge.

The following week, Oct. 19, is arguably Miami’s toughest game of the season when it travels to No. 19 Louisville. The Cardinals have ran through Austin Peay and Jacksonville State, but they face tough tests before they get the Hurricanes including Georgia Tech next weekend and a road trip to No. 18 Notre Dame on Sept. 28.

Miami is 1-5 against AP ranked teams under head coach Mario Crsitobal, including a 38-31 loss to then-N0. 10-ranked Louisville last season. The Hurricanes have also never beaten Florida State under Cristobal either, dropping a 27-20 game last year and a 45-3 shellacking in 2022.