Miami
Miami is 8-1, No. 7 in the CFP rankings, and No. 6 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 24.9 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: lost 31-24 at Notre Dame in Week 10. The machine gives Miami a 95% chance to make the playoff.
Week 11: vs Duke, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Miami is No. 6
- Miami's rating is 24.9: the machine's estimate that Miami is 24.9 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 6 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 21.8, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 3.1.
- The biggest weekly moves: +4.2 after Week 1 (W 45-6 at Stanford) and −2.5 after Week 3 (W 33-20 at Wake Forest).
- Its record is 8-1. The loss was to No. 5 Notre Dame, by 7 points. The 8 wins came by 29.9 points on average; the best was over No. 18 Wake Forest. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 50 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 5 Notre Dame (25.0); just below is No. 7 Ohio State (22.8).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Mario Cristobal is in his 5th season at Miami (since 2022). This season: 8-1. At Miami overall: 43-20, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 232-302 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2935 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 31-3 |
| Yards per attempt* | 9.8No. 4 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 14.5%No. 14 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 3.9%No. 33 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 323-1721 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 5.3No. 19 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 16.5%No. 25 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 10.7%No. 3 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 45.0No. 1 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 7.52No. 3 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 52.9%No. 5 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 74.5%No. 11 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 6No. 14 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 19.2No. 25 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.25No. 43 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 7.2No. 72 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 2.5No. 5 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 6.4%No. 48 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 10No. 82 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 37.7%No. 60 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Darian Mensah212-276, 2701 yds, 28 TD, 2 INT
- Luke Nickel15-20, 204 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
- Dereon Coleman5-6, 30 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
- Mark Fletcher Jr.107 carries, 514 yds, 9 TD
- Javian Mallory74 carries, 509 yds, 7 TD
- Darian Mensah35 carries, 137 yds, 2 TD
Receiving
- Malachi Toney73 catches, 1027 yds, 13 TD
- Cooper Barkate38 catches, 464 yds, 6 TD
- Elija Lofton27 catches, 349 yds, 3 TD
Tackles
- Mohamed Toure56
- Chase Smith43
- JJ Dunnigan41
Sacks
- Marquise Lightfoot7
- Damon Wilson Jr.3.5
- Omar Thornton3
Interceptions
- Brody Jennings1
- Bryce Fitzgerald1
- Ethan O'Connor1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Darian MensahMost passes in the last game9 games276 attempts91%
- Luke Nickel3 games20 attempts7%
Carrying
- Mark Fletcher Jr.8 games107 carries38%
- Javian Mallory9 games74 carries26%
- Girard Pringle Jr.7 games29 carries10%
- Jordan Lyle5 games22 carries8%
Catching
- Malachi Toney8 games73 catches31%
- Cooper Barkate9 games38 catches16%
- Elija Lofton9 games27 catches12%
- Daylyn Upshaw9 games24 catches10%
Tackling
- Mohamed Toure9 games56 tackles11%
- Chase Smith9 games43 tackles8%
- JJ Dunnigan9 games41 tackles8%
- Marquise Lightfoot9 games34 tackles7%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 45–6 at Stanford. The passing game was the strength: 12.2 yards an attempt, 4.3 more than Stanford usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 2 W 77–7 vs Florida A&M. Florida A&M is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against.
- Week 3 W 33–20 at Wake Forest. The run defense was the strength: Wake Forest got 1.4 yards a carry, 3.6 under what it usually gains. Its fewest yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 4 W 52–3 vs Central Michigan. The run defense was the strength: Central Michigan got 0.8 yards a carry, 3.9 under what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 5 W 41–13 at Clemson. The run defense was the strength: Clemson got 1.8 yards a carry, 2.3 under what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 7 W 43–35 vs Florida State. The pass defense gave ground: Florida State got 10.2 yards an attempt, 2.0 over what it usually gains. The most yards an attempt it has allowed all season.
- Week 8 W 52–23 vs Pittsburgh. The passing game was the strength: 10.5 yards an attempt, 3.1 more than Pittsburgh usually allows. Its fewest yards a carry of the season.
- Week 9 W 38–35 at North Carolina. The pass defense gave ground: North Carolina got 10.0 yards an attempt, 3.0 over what it usually gains.
- Week 10 L 24–31 at Notre Dame. The run defense was the strength: Notre Dame got 3.2 yards a carry, 1.9 under what it usually gains. Lost the turnover battle by 2.