The Miami Hurricanes had an impressive 2024 season, showcasing a dynamic offense that led to Cam Ward being selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, the team’s defense struggled, causing them to drop in the rankings as the season progressed.
Can Mario Cristobal’s squad make the necessary improvements in 2025? Let’s examine their projected wins and upcoming schedule.
Miami Football Win Projections for the 2025 Season
Over 9.5 wins (+130), Under 9.5 wins (-150)
DraftKings Sportsbook has set the 2025 regular season win total for Miami at 9.5. The under is strongly favored at -150 due to the Hurricanes facing a difficult conference schedule and losing talent to the NFL this offseason.
However, with many predicted close contests, bettors might be tempted to consider the over. The odds for Miami to exceed 9.5 regular-season wins stand at +130.
Miami Football 2025 Schedule
- Sept. 1 – vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Sept. 6 – vs Bethune-Cookman Wildcats
- Sept. 13 – vs South Florida Bulls
- Sept. 20 – vs Florida Gators
- Oct. 4 – at Florida State Seminoles
- Oct. 17 – vs Louisville Cardinals
- Oct. 25 – vs Stanford Cardinal
- Nov. 1 – at SMU Mustangs
- Nov. 8 – vs Syracuse Orange
- Nov. 15 – vs NC State Wolfpack
- Nov. 22 – at Virginia Tech Hokies
- Nov. 29 – at Pittsburgh Panthers
Miami is coming off its first 10-win season since 2017, marking its second double-digit winning season in the past 20 years. While Clemson has set the standard in the ACC for several years, Cristobal’s team is looking to establish itself as a dominant force in the conference.
To do so, they will have to fix a leaky secondary with new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman and Wisconsin Badgers transfer Xavier Lucas being brought in to plug the gaps.
It showcases how the Hurricanes have again excelled at acquiring talent ahead of the 2025 season, with several high-profile additions expected to make an immediate impact through the transfer portal.
Most notable is Georgia Bulldogs transfer Carson Beck. The new Miami quarterback arrives in South Florida with a substantial NIL deal, aiming to regain his form from before the 2024 season.
Standing at 6’4” and weighing 215 pounds, Beck accumulated over 7,900 passing yards and 58 touchdowns during his five seasons in Athens, and is looking to put his name up in headlines, following the pathway created by Cam Ward.
The ‘Canes have three players ranked in CSN’s top 100 players for the 2026 NFL Draft, including Rueben Bain Jr., who is expected to rebound in 2025 now back at full health.
But the opening game on Sept. 1 will be a baptism of fire. The Hurricanes will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Hard Rock Stadium as they look to navigate a difficult start against the national championship runners-up.
Moving on, Miami heads to Gainesville on Sept. 20 to take on the DJ Lagway-led Florida Gators, who are expected to show significant improvement in 2025.
They then enter the start of a difficult run of conference games, which sees the Hurricanes go on the road to face the Florida State Seminoles, a College Football Playoff participant and ACC Championship Game runner-up, as well as the SMU Mustangs.
Miami’s schedule is littered with potential banana skins. They face three teams currently ranked in the top 16 of CSN’s early college football top 25 power rankings, and with the talent closely matched in the ACC, it will be difficult for them to maintain their winning run.
KEEP READING: 2025 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 Power Rankings
Cristobal’s team ranks fourth among current ACC teams with the most wins since 2017 (62) behind the Clemson Tigers, SMU, and the NC State Wolfpack, who they have to visit in November. 10 of the 17 ACC teams have positive winning records during that span, and the conference is expected to be evenly matched again in 2025.
Miami Football 2025 Win Projection: 8
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