What to make of Miami

We're going to learn a lot about Miami over the next nine days.

First, tonight's trip to Pitt.

Then, of course, next week's visit to Death Valley.

I viewed a replay of the Hurricanes' loss at Ohio State, and watching all that talent on the field made me think twice about my preseason pick to win the Coastal Division (Virginia Tech).

Yeah, the Hokies' implosion against James Madison had a little something to do with those misgivings. Make that a big something.

Watching Miami is similar to watching Clemson in that you get the sense both teams aren't far away from breaking out. As we told you in August, ESPN analyst Todd Blackledge said there wasn't much difference at all between the two in terms of skill and athleticism.

Even though Clemson came much closer to defeating Auburn than Miami did Ohio State, I thought there were similarities in the two games. Clemson's coaches did a great job of putting their players in position to win, and the same can be said of Miami's coaches in the 36-24 loss in Columbus.

Randy Shannon comes off as a bit Tommy Bowden-ish when he says things would've been different had Miami caught the nine passes it dropped, but it's absolutely the truth that the Hurricanes played the Buckeyes much more closely than is perceived.

I was impressed by the offense. Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple has added a new wrinkle by going hurry-up on occasion, giving defensive coordinators something else to think about.

The middle of the offensive line didn't look good, giving up consistent penetration. That's good news for Clemson, whose talent and depth on the interior DL is quite impressive.

The defense has some issues, most notably at linebacker. Gotta think Billy Napier has been busy scheming up ways to get one-on-one matchups there in much the same fashion he did against Auburn.

We'll know more about the Hurricanes after tonight. Should be interesting.

Shannon and Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt certainly aren't strangers. Here's a Miami Herald story on their strong connections.

When Wannstedt was UM's defensive coordinator under Johnson, he recruited Shannon, a serious-minded safety at Miami Norland High who seemed mature for his age.

``He wasn't fast enough or big enough but he was very smart and we made him a linebacker,'' Wannstedt said. ``He was always in the right spot and did the right things. He was a security blanket for me.

``We had our share of problem children at UM, needless to say, but Randy was reserved and responsible. Jimmy would say, `We had a problem last night with player X,' and it never occurred to us that it would be Randy.''

SI writer Austin Murphy says Shannon is leading Miami to a renaissance on and off the field.

Some folks -- cough, URBAN MEYER!, cough, cough -- would submit that thugs are essential to winning championships. Shannon is committed to doing it a different way.

What's going on in Coral Gables? For one thing, most Hurricanes are in bed when a lot of their classmates are hitting the clubs and bars. For the last two years, Shannon has been starting practice at 7 a.m., with meetings beforehand. "Guys are not going out," he says. The Hurricanes have sacrificed their night lives.

Shannon has placed greater emphasis on recruiting character than any of his predecessors, dating back to Jimmy Johnson (for whom Shannon started at linebacker on the 'Canes' 1987 national championship team). When his assistants are on the recruiting trail, Shannon insists they go into private investigator mode. "We've got coaches doing as much background checking as we can," he says. Players are deputized, put to work evaluating high school visitors. "We tell our players, if they don't feel [a recruit] is the right type of guy for what we're trying to get done at Miami, tell us, and we'll cut him loose. And we've done that."

Georgia Tech's streak of allowing 100-yard rushers -- six and counting -- is something that not even the self-anointed Chess master can solve.



Is it me, or is this guy the most overrated coach in football right now? In fairness, the change to a 3-4 is not easy. So we'll check back on this topic later on in the season.

But gosh, they made North Carolina's Johnny White look like Ricky Williams for a stretch last week.

Speaking of a running game, Boston College is looking for one heading into Saturday's game against Virginia Tech.

Christian Ponder has a bruised arm, and E.J. Manuel is taking first-team reps as the Seminoles prepare for Wake Forest.

Hey, how's that CP7forheisman site doing? Check it out.

The best part is Ponder's most recent Tweet: "Landed in OKC."

Mike Bianchi says Florida State and Miami need to focus on conference titles, not national titles.

Yeah, that'd be a start.

Jimbo Fisher says he doesn't really care about the ACC's struggles.

"I don't mean that in any disrespect. You can't worry about that. I don't know why [it has happened]. I don't ever spend any time thinking about it, to be honest with you. I just worry about our next game."

Fisher said it didn't bother him that his conference's perception has continued to suffer because, he asked, "What's a perception do?"

USA Today has a piece on student fees in college athletics, and it looks as if Clemson might have the lowest fees in the ACC at 0.9 percent of total tuition.

And we'll close with the latest trend in child discipline in Alabama.



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