What was it they say about the best-laid plans? So it went last fall at Miami, where the ballyhooed hire of local native Mario Cristobal away from Oregon would blow up in the face of the 'Canes, or at least mega-booster John Ruiz, the effective godfather of Miami sports who orchestrated the Cristobal hire as well as the ouster of predecessor Manny Diaz, the latter filled with local political intrigue. It should be noted that many ACC observers and 'Canes backers were of the opinion that Diaz (whose three teams each qualified for bowls) should have gotten one more year to forge the turnaround of the program that many noted at the end of the previous 2021 campaign. One year later, perhaps Diaz is having the last laugh, having successfully landed as James Franklin's DC at Penn State and putting himself back in line for a ride on the next coaching carousel.

Meanwhile, the chatter continues in Miami, where Cristobal would recently, indirectly, blame the Diaz regime (the wording Cristobal used was "clashes with the program's existing culture") for last season's shortcomings and a disappointing 5-7 mark that kept the 'Canes out of the bowl mix. And we're scared to ask Miami backers what they might have been thinking after Cristobal went an even-worse 2-10 against the spread in his return to his old stomping grounds.  

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Miami's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the ACC season.

ACC preview: Conference winner | Boston College | Clemson | Duke | Florida State | Georgia Tech | Louisville | Miami | NC State | North Carolina | Pittsburgh | Syracuse | Virginia | Virginia Tech | Wake Forest

2023 Miami at a glance

• Last Year: 5-7 SU, 2-10 ATS, 6-6 O/U
  
• Returning Starters: Offense 3; Defense 5
• Win Total: 7.5 (Over +120, Under -140)
  

What do you need to know about Miami before locking in your ACC futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see ACC futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!