Mario Cristobal is coming off a College Football Playoff appearance with Miami in the 2025 season. While Miami hopes to make another CFP run in 2026, Cristobal has strongly opposed the proposed 24-team playoff format.
Analyst Praises Mario Cristobal for Opposing the 24-Team CFP Format
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips publicly backed the idea of a 24-team CFP this week. Support for expanding the playoff from 12 to 24 teams reportedly appears nearly unanimous among ACC administrators, coaches, and key decision-makers.
However, many, like “Locked On Canes” podcast host Alex Donno, oppose the expansion and praised Cristobal for sharing that viewpoint.
“Our guy Mario Cristobal is one of the few and maybe the only holdout within the ACC who is not in favor,” Donno said.
“As Cristobal said, the 24-team playoff is too big; you devalue the regular season. It’s not good enough. You should be able to earn being one of the top 12. 24 is too much. So I’m glad Mario Cristobal is standing up for, and 12 is still a lot.
“Some would say, ‘Look at how stacked his rosters are, how many resources he has.’ Of course, he’s in favor of keeping the playoffs smaller, and he only has to go through the ACC. Bottom line is, if a Mario Cristobal team were to get into the playoffs as the 23rd-ranked team, that wouldn’t satisfy Mario. That shouldn’t satisfy any of us.”
Cristobal believes strongly in Miami’s level after watching his team slip into the 12-team playoff field on Selection Sunday last season. The Hurricanes went into Kyle Field and battled their way to a tough 10-3 first-round CFP win over Texas A&M. Miami later entered its quarterfinal matchup against Ohio State as an underdog but stunned the defending national champions with a 24-14 win, securing the program’s first major bowl win since 2004.
Cristobal’s team later survived a dramatic 31-27 semifinal win against Ole Miss before its incredible postseason run ended in a narrow 27-21 loss to Indiana in the national championship game. However, the run helped restore Miami’s reputation as a powerhouse program.
A 24-team playoff would undoubtedly benefit Miami by providing far more room for regular-season mistakes, especially after the Hurricanes drew criticism for earning a CFP spot over Notre Dame last year. However, Cristobal’s main philosophical issue is that a 24-team bracket would drastically reduce the importance of the regular season. College football’s regular season has traditionally been viewed as one of the sport’s greatest strengths because even a single loss could affect championship hopes.
Meanwhile, Cristobal also offered a possible solution for improving the calendar structure.
“Just move everything up,” Cristobal said. “That’s all. Just finish as early as possible in January so there’s time for you to put together a team… Have one bye week and let’s roll.”
The PFSN College Football Playoff prediction gives Miami a 30% chance of making the CFP in 2026.
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