Mario Cristobal's team sits in the top 15 nationally, owns one of the best defenses in the country and is still alive in the ACC and College Football Playoff races after an 8-2 start. The Hurricanes spent a chunk of the fall ranked in the top 10, even climbing to No. 2 in the AP poll before losses to Louisville and SMU sent them sliding.
It is exactly the kind of season that invites a very specific "what if" in Coral Gables: what if this year's defense was paired with last year's star quarterback, Cam Ward?