Miami, FL

3 reasons Miami Hurricanes won’t nab a spot in College Football Playoff bracket

Published

11 months ago

December 5, 2024

Press Room

3 reasons Miami Hurricanes won’t nab a spot in College Football Playoff bracket

The Miami Hurricanes aren’t making it to the College Football Playoff. How?

Miami lost to Syracuse on Saturday to miss out on the ACC championship game. The loss hurt in more ways than one, as now the Hurricanes are looking up at Alabama in the latest CFP rankings, even though the ‘Canes have two losses while the Crimson Tide have three.

“Winning 10 games is exponentially harder than winning nine,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said on The Audible podcast. “This whole, ‘This conference is better than that conference,’ some of the teams are, but not all the teams are. Never once were we in a blowout loss against a .500 team.”

Yes, Alabama did lose bad to a .500 team, and just a few weeks ago. But there are good reasons why Miami will be preparing for a bowl game instead of waiting to hear its place in the CFP bracket on Selection Sunday. We stated the case for Miami; now here’s the rebuttal.

Miami CFP predictions

Miami fell to No. 12 in Tuesday’s CFP rankings update, and because the Big 12 champion (either No. 15 Arizona State or No. 16 Iowa State) must be included in the 12-team field, the Hurricanes are on the outside looking in. Without another game before the final bracket is unveiled, Miami won’t be able to earn their way back into the mix.

Why Miami didn’t make College Football Playoff

Miami been in the CFP field since the rankings made their debut Nov. 5. Meanwhile, Alabama fell out of the field two weeks ago. So how did the Crimson Tide leapfrog the Hurricanes to still have a shot at the playoff?

Late losses to unranked Georgia Tech and Syracuse

Miami was looking good all season despite a relatively weak strength of schedule because they did the most important thing: win. The Hurricanes’ 9-0 start included some near slip-ups. They had a Hail Mary overturned against Virginia Tech. They rallied from 25 down to beat Cal. The Duke and Wake Forest wins were closer than the final score would indicate.

UM couldn’t flirt with disaster all season, and its two losses came in November, the worst possible time because of the flaws of recent memory. Georgia Tech gave rival Georgia a run for their money and had the 14th toughest schedule, but they did finish 7-5. The Yellow Jackets had a middle-of-the-road defense (ninth in the ACC, a shade worse than Miami’s) but held Cam Ward and the No. 1 offense in the nation to 23 points.

Losing to 9-3 Syracuse is more defensible, but it really didn’t help the narrative around the defense. Speaking of which …

Cam Ward can’t make up for porous Miami defense

The Hurricanes have a host of NFL talent on defense, leading with star pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. But since the start of conference play, they have struggled to let Cam Ward and the No. 1 offense in the nation run away with games. Even worse, they seemed incapable of adjusting throughout the season to limit the damage.

Louisville, Virginia Tech and Cal had their third-highest output of the season in their losses to Miami. Syracuse and Duke put up their second-most points of the season against the ‘Canes. That’s more than half of their conference schedule. Who knows how much SMU and Clemson (the No. 5 and 14 scoring offenses in the country, respectively) would have hung up on UM in a hypothetical ACC championship game?

In the four games mentioned above that resulted in Miami wins, Ward had some of his biggest games of his Heisman-caliber season: He has 105 of 164 (64%) for 1,499 yards and 15 touchdowns against just four interceptions in those shootout wins. When he was merely good (50 of 75 for 697 yards and five TDs), it wasn’t enough.

Alabama has SEC influence

The SEC is regarded as the best conference in college football, and for the most part, it lives up to that hype. But aside from the extra loss, the Crimson Tide have a huge blemish against them: their 24-3 loss at 6-6 Oklahoma on Nov. 23. The Sooners weren’t competitive in most of their conference schedule this year, and they struggled to beat a terrible Houston team early in the season.

But playing in the SEC gave Alabama plenty of opportunities to prove its mettle. Its signature win over Georgia and the narrow victory over South Carolina stand out, but so do the combined 76-13 shellackings the Crimson Tide put on Missouri and LSU. Showing out against so-so teams made it easier for the CFP committee to overlook that Oklahoma slip-up. Bama also lost at CFP shoo-in Tennessee by only a touchdown, and losing at Vanderbilt didn’t look as bad after Texas nearly met the same fate.

Miami handily beat its only SEC opponent this season, winning 41-17 to open the season at Florida. But that was when the Gators were starting Graham Mertz at quarterback: Freshman star DJ Lagway made his debut well after the game was decided. The Hurricanes didn’t have the high-ranking ACC teams (SMU and Clemson) on their schedule, and they lost to the only other team in the current CFP rankings (Syracuse). That’s not Miami’s fault, but it also doesn’t help their case.

Date: Sunday, December 8
Time: Noon ET

The final College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed starting at noon on Sunday, Dec. 8.

How to watch CFP bracket reveal

TV channel: ESPN
Live stream: ESPN+ | Fubo

The College Football Playoff bracket will be revealed on ESPN. Streaming options include ESPN+ and Fubo.

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Miami, FL

Colleagues reflect on life of fallen Miami-Dade deputy as tributes pour in from community

Published

12 hours ago

November 10, 2025

Press Room

Colleagues reflect on life of fallen Miami-Dade deputy as tributes pour in from community

A growing memorial now sits outside the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Kendall substation, a solemn tribute to Deputy Devin Jaramillo, who was shot and killed in the line of duty.

A framed photo of the 27-year-old deputy rests on the hood of his patrol car, surrounded by flowers, candles and messages of support from the community and fellow officers.

Deputy Jaramillo was killed while responding to a minor traffic crash along Southwest 128th Street. Law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation tell CBS News Miami say the driver involved in the crash — identified as 21-year-old Steven Rustrian — fled the scene before being found nearby.

The source told CBS News Miami that Rustrian switched seats with his passenger before Deputy Jaramillo arrived. When the deputy attempted to arrest him, a struggle broke out. Rustrian allegedly took Jaramillo’s service weapon and fired at least seven shots, killing the deputy before turning the gun on himself.

Tribute grows in honor of Miami-Dade deputy killed in shooting: “He was happy, spunky” by
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“We’re out here risking our lives to keep you all safe, and we do it with passion, with heart, and with love,” said Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Joseph Peguero.

According to our source, Investigators have been speaking with Rustrian’s family, who say he served in the military and had been dealing with mental health challenges.

Jaramillo’s death has deeply affected both the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and the Coral Gables Police Department, where he began his law enforcement career.

“Devin started with our department,” Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudak said. “I know his father, and I know what kind of cop he was going to be. In the four years we had him here, he was special. This was not a paycheck — he took the time to see the person he was dealing with, whether it be a suspect, an offender, or a victim. That’s a learned trait, but this kid had it.”

Officers stopping by the growing memorial say the show of support from the community means more than words can express.

“It’s been a rough couple of years,” one officer told CBS News Miami. “Police don’t always feel cared for, so the community coming out here and showing their respects goes a long way in letting us know that you have our backs, because we have yours.”

Funeral arrangements for Deputy Jaramillo have not yet been finalized.

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Miami, FL

Surfrider Foundation leads effort to revive Miami’s dunes, fight erosion

Published

1 day ago

November 10, 2025

Press Room

Surfrider Foundation leads effort to revive Miami’s dunes, fight erosion

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The Surfrider Foundation’s Miami chapter is rolling up its sleeves to restore the city’s coastal dunes — pulling weeds, planting native vegetation and protecting the shoreline from erosion.

Chapter chair Mike Gibaldi said the group has been focused on removing scaevola, an invasive shrub native to Hawaii that has crowded out Florida’s native beach plants for years.

“It takes over the other plants and you end up with a monoculture,” Gibaldi said. “The dune is not as diverse and healthy.”

The Surfrider Foundation’s work was highlighted in its 2025 State of the Beach Report, which recognized Miami for partnering with the organization to improve dune health and resilience.

According to the report, Miami’s beaches drew 28 million visitors last year and generated $22 billion for the local economy.

Gibaldi said restoring the dunes isn’t just about preserving nature — it’s about protecting the community.

“When you have a healthy dune, whether you have a storm surge or hurricanes, it’s holding the beach and protecting upland property from storm surge,” he said.

Since 2006, the group has restored more than 10 acres of coastal dunes and planted over 3,000 native plants, including sea oats and beach creeper.

On Mid-Beach near 35th Street, Gibaldi pointed out the group’s progress.

“We planted natives,” he said. “We didn’t plant the sea grapes that were here, but this is beach creeper — we planted only a couple of these, and it’s taken off. It’s done very well.”

Gibaldi said the ongoing effort is helping Miami Beach’s dunes return to what a “good dune” should look like — healthy, diverse and able to withstand whatever nature brings.

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Miami, FL

🎥 Messi fires Miami into the semis, Ronaldo decisive once again

Published

2 days ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

🎥 Messi fires Miami into the semis, Ronaldo decisive once again

In Florida, Inter Miami brushed aside Nashville (4-0) to reach the final four of the MLS Eastern Conference playoffs.

La Pulga scored a brace and provided an assist. He thus reached the milestone of 400 career assists. Across all generations, only Ferenc Puskás (404) has done better than Messi. A record that should soon fall…

Meanwhile, Messi’s eternal rival was not idle. Cristiano Ronaldo found the net again from the penalty spot.

In the Saudi Pro League title race, the Portuguese converted his penalty in Neom to allow Al-Nassr to retain their place at the top (3-1). Ronaldo’s teammates are now on a run of eight wins in as many matches.

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