OPINION: With final push of fall camp coming, this Miami Hurricanes season won’t just be defined by the opener at Florida

As the Miami Hurricanes approach the last week-plus before the opener, the game at Florida continues to loom larger and larger. For many, it will be a referendum on Mario Cristobal’s roster building in recruiting the last two years and his transfer portal additions. The Gators have suffered through 6-7, 6-7 and 5-7 seasons the last three years, are unranked and projected by most to get five or six wins.

But don’t let that fool you.

This Gators team will be better than their record considering UF faces one of the nation’s toughest schedules. There’s talent and experience on the Gators roster, and it’s a game on the road for a Miami team that has a lot of new pieces (including eight or more new transfer additions expected in the starting lineup).

So, with that in the background, it’s a fair question to ask where this Miami season can go with a win in the opener … or where things might go if the Canes lose.

Perception might be with a win that, against a pretty easy schedule, UM will be in line for a 10, 11 or even – gasp – undefeated season. Sentiment will run high, with the only other difficult games on paper against the likes of FSU (at home) and Louisville (on the road).

A loss?

The sky will be falling a bit for the Miami faithful. All the hard work of the off-season, the NIL money spent, the luster of a revamped roster that has Miami in the top 20 of many polls thrown to the side of the road.

There’s no doubt a lot riding on what happens up north on Aug. 31.

But, in reality, a win or loss in the opener could still have this season go either way. It could be a great year … or a really disappointing one.

All you have to do is look at the past for examples of that. So let’s look at Miami’s past openers against big opponents. And we’ll start with the 1987 national title season when – of course – Miami also played Florida in the opener. The No. 10 Canes took care of the Gators in that game, 31-4, went undefeated and won the national title.

History ready to repeat itself, anyone?

The other big openers since then:

In 1990, top-ranked Miami lost its opener at No. 16 BYU but still had a solid season, finishing with just one more loss and ending ranked No. 3.

Then in 1995 Miami again had a huge opening game, this one with No. 12 Miami facing off at No. 15 UCLA. The Canes lost, then lost two of the next three but recovered to win the final seven games and ended ranked No. 20.

Then there are years like 1999 when No. 12 Miami beat No. 9 Ohio State in the opener, 23-12 … but then lost three of the next four games and had a disappointing year.

In 2005 No. 9 Miami lost at No. 14 FSU in the opener, 10-7, won the next eight games but lost two of final three and ended ranked 17 ^th .

The following season No. 12 Miami lost the opener to No. 11 FSU, 13-10, and ended unranked with six losses.

Two years later unranked Miami won at No. 18 FSU in the opener, 38-34, but ended ranked No. 19 with four losses.

Then, in 2018, No. 8 Miami lost to No. 25 LSU in Game 1, 33-17, wound up winning the next five, then lost four in a row and ended unranked.

The next year unranked Miami lost to Florida in Orlando in the opener, 24-20, then lost the next game to UNC, 28-25, and ended with 6-7 record.

And the most recent big game opener was in 2021, a 44-13 thrashing of No. 14 Miami by No. 1 Alabama in Atlanta. The Canes ended that year unranked with five losses.

So what chapter will be added with this year’s opener?

As you see above, an opening win or loss doesn’t necessarily define a season.

And as Cristobal continues to build this roster, the future is undoubtedly bright regardless of the outcome of one game. This is a Miami team that can still falter off Game 1, right itself and run the table. The talent certainly is on board, reflected by polls that have Miami in the top 20 and even Athlon Magazine ranking Miami tied atop the ACC with FSU when it comes to top position groups.

But the bottom line for this Miami team and Hurricane fans is probably going to be pretty simple come Aug. 31.

Beat the Gators.

And then worry about the next game.

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