Our message about Miami on this site hasn't changed since we began projecting Randy Shannon's failure seven years ago. The Cliff's Notes for those who haven't followed along: Miami's winning "tradition" is based on the most epic cheating in the sport's history, an extremely unlikely string of elite head coaches and a long-lost ability to keep other schools out of the nation's most fertile recruiting area. These advantages are no longer in place, and currently Miami's administration, facilities, fan support and coaching all rank in the bottom tier of the ACC. Shannon had no chance to meet the unrealistic expectations of a program whose natural place in the pecking order is closer to the middle of the ACC pack, and as we've reiterated often in this space, Al Golden is another solid coach who, likewise, has no chance. The current state of affairs isn't due to setbacks caused by the recent sanctions, it's Miami's natural place in the sport's landscape, and until the university makes a more serious commitment this will be a mediocre program.
As for Duke, it lost an all-ACC senior leader on each side of the ball before the season even started, but the Blue Devils still boast top-notch special teams and the top quarterback-receiver duo in the division. Golden didn't beat a single winning team while conducting Temple's renaissance, and so far at Miami, he can claim just one win over a team that won more than seven games. That was back in 2011, over an 8-5 Georgia Tech squad on a day the Yellow Jackets turned in what is widely regarded by their own program as the sloppiest ACC performance of the entire Paul Johnson era. Duke may or may not have enough horses to win the Coastal division, but the Devils are a good team; Golden's Hurricanes have demonstrated repeatedly that they have no business laying weight to good teams.
