MIAMI -- Here at The Other End the smiles are more sincere, the work a lot harder and the satisfaction, well ... step inside Mario Cristobal's office for a moment.

"It's a hell of a book one day," Florida International's 41-year-old coach begins.

And with that Cristobal is off with harrowing memories of what it used to be like at FIU. Six years ago he arrived to find a toddler of a program needing one heck of a diaper change. Cristobal, of sound mind and body apparently, took over a program that was about to go on probation. By the coaches' count, the program lost 17 ineligible players, and sported an APR less than 900 (the new NCAA minimum is 930). Oh yeah, and it was coming off an 0-12 season.

"It's kind of frightening the first meeting we ever had, I was the biggest guy in the room at 250 pounds," Cristobal continued. "That's not good. I was like, 'When is the varsity coming in?' We didn't get a weight room until going into our fourth year."

Before that, the workout facilities consisted of four benches inside roped off racquetball courts. Somewhere in a corner was an infomercial -- a Bowflex minus Chuck Norris.

Here at The Other End of major-college football is a rising program with a rising coach. The school exists in the shadow of big brother (Miami), playing in what is traditionally the lowest-rated FBS conference. The only link, in most people's minds, is that unfortunate 2006 brawl.

That doesn't make Cristobal, the Panthers and the Sun Belt any less worthy. It might make them the next Boise State. That's the standard, isn't it, for every wannabe trying to make do with a 20,000-seat stadium in a "What's That? conference" with big boys monopolizing the sport?

The case can be made: We are witnessing FIU's breakthrough before our eyes. The program is arguably ahead of the standard set by Boise State at a comparable stage. This season will mark Year 7 in FBS for the Panthers. In 2012, FIU has a chance to go to its third consecutive bowl.

Forget Boise for a moment, the comparison here will always be with the U. Cristobal grew up here, played offensive line and won national championships for the Hurricanes. The tall, striking coach oozes hotness as FBS' first Cuban-American coach. Cristobal has had more than one chance to leave, but is sticking around, at least for a bit longer.

The rest is here:
Cristobal turns Florida International around, and himself into a coaching commodity