As the Miami Hurricanes prepare to climb another steep hill, Mario Cristobal spreads the same message.
The Miami Hurricanes prepare for the biggest test of the season, facing the Pitt Panthers on the road. It may just be an unranked ACC opponent, but the fight for a spot in the College Football Playoffs continues.
The main message spread by Mario Cristobal and the team has been controlling the controllable, which remains to be the case.
"There's one scenario that matters, just one, and that's us finding a way to be 1-0," he said. "That's it. Again, a 100 percent believer, and as football has always been, in the field test. That's always the most important test. We're playing a great football team that is fighting for the exact same things we are. You have to be at your best from a preparation and practice standpoint, and we're looking forward to a great week of practice and preparation."
The Hurricanes are currently on the outside looking in, ranking 13th in last week's Selection Committee rankings. They need to crack the top 10 for a strong chance of securing an "at-large" big, given the situation in the ACC.
However, the team has been clicking, especially on the current three-game winning streak.
They're averaging 37.7 points and 461.3 total yards throughout that span, while also holding opponents to an average of 11.3 points and 274.3 total yards.
"It's just getting better and better every week," Cristobal added. "We're getting healthy again, and it's getting in sync. We're playing complimentary football again, which is key, especially at this time of the year. The climate changes, you got to travel, deal with injuries, deal with other teams, get healthy or not being healthy. There's a lot going on right now, and certainly, you have a lot of tape out there, so you have to continue to evolve. I think both sides of the ball are doing a good job to keep finding ways to move the chain, score points and get stops on defense, and then also find advantages on special teams, which I think this year has been a massive uptick in our punt return yardage and in our coverage teams for the most part. I think all those things at this time of year, it's so critical to just keep getting better, and to really force that mentality and not let it just in any way, shape or form, slide and go backwards."
Speaking of climate, the weather in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is expected to be drastically different on game day, with a high of 35 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 24. However, Cristobal believes that's when "football's at its best."
"Since the day you started watching football, you wish you could play in games like this," he said. "We're going to be on the same field, playing a team that's only with the same conditions, and even though we're at different climates, it cannot and will not be a factor."
That's certainly a different feeling compared to the Miami Dolphins.
The next College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN. The Hurricanes have a chance to surpass the Utah Utes for 12th, given their small margin victory over the Kansas State Wildcats, with a final score of 51-47.
Everything is on the line this weekend for the South Florida football program.