ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit described the importance of Miami’s game against Texas A&M for Mario Cristobal.

Cristobal is in his first season as Miami’s head coach and he is getting ready for the biggest game of his tenure. Miami will be on the road for the first time this season.

“It’s a big day for Mario Cristobal,” Herbstreit said on College GameDay on Saturday morning. “Remember, he got hired to be the head coach at Miami, go back to his alma mater. What a big opportunity and a big stage for him.”

This will be Cristobal’s first true test as the program’s head coach. He became Miami’s head coach in December 2021 after 4 seasons as Oregon’s head coach. It was a difficult decision for Cristobal to make but he ultimately decided to return to his alma mater.

He accepted the job with the expectation of turning around the Hurricanes. In 2021, Miami finished the season with a 7-5 record under former head coach Manny Diaz. While a 7-5 record was enough to qualify for a bowl game, it required winning 5 of the last 6 games of the season. Miami wanted to make a change.

With Cristobal in charge, he will try to put the Hurricanes in the best position possible to compete for a national championship. Herbstreit discussed the importance of Saturday’s game for Cristobal.

Miami heads into this game with 2 wins over Bethune-Cookman and Southern Miss. On the other hand, Texas A&M is looking to bounce back from a shocking home loss to Appalachian State in Week 2.

All eyes will be on the Miami-Texas A&M game in College Station, Texas, on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.