forums

Rank your 5 favorite Canes teams of all time

I feel bad for all you young guys who never had a chance to experience UM in the 80’s. We were a spectacle, a circus, the bad guy in every western movie, and the Beetles all rolled into a football team that was amazing for 10 years with 3 different coaches; all of whom left UM to coach professional football. UM fans took a lot of pride that we could keep winning with different coaches, and that UM was basically a launching pad for pro careers for players and coaches.

I feel even worse for those of you who did not experience the 2001 team in real time. There has never been, and will never be a team that good again in college football. And its not close.

All that being written, I think OP nailed the top 5 of all time;
2001
1986
1987
1991
2025

The even older heads will say 1983 MUST be on the list because that literally started everything, and they have a point. But we were not the most talented team, and the list above (which is @B Run list) are arguably the best teams ever at UM.
 
Advertisement
AtlAtty said:
I feel bad for all you young guys who never had a chance to experience UM in the 80’s. We were a spectacle, a circus, the bad guy in every western movie, and the Beetles all rolled into a football team that was amazing for 10 years with 3 different coaches; all of whom left UM to coach professional football. UM fans took a lot of pride that we could keep winning with different coaches, and that UM was basically a launching pad for pro careers for players and coaches.

I feel even worse for those of you who did not experience the 2001 team in real time. There has never been, and will never be a team that good again in college football. And its not close.

All that being written, I think OP nailed the top 5 of all time;
2001
1986
1987
1991
2025

The even older heads will say 1983 MUST be on the list because that literally started everything, and they have a point. But we were not the most talented team, and the list above (which is @B Run list) are arguably the best teams ever at UM.
Click to expand...
Such a shame 86 didn’t win it all. So **** good
 
1. 2000. Will probably always be my favorite Canes. Guys like Santana Moss,Reggie Wayne, Dan Morgan, Al Blades and Leonard Myers will always hold a special place as they came to Miami during the dark days. Had a early loss to Washington in Seattle and never looked back. Ended the losing streaks to FSU and VT, and ended it with a Sugar Bowl win over the Gators. No doubt in my mind that this team would've throttled OU for the national championship.Not to sure this team wouldn't have beat the 01 Canes the way they were playing by the end of 00. This was the team that said we're back!
2. 1991. Wide right 1, the Bermuda Triangle and 4th national title. Horace Copeland, Lamar Thomas, Daryl Spencer and Kevin Williams to this day is still my favorite group of receivers. Look up the definition of defense and it should show a pic of the 91 Canes.
3. 2001. 5th national title and most talented team in college football history! 2nd string on this team would've been #2 in the country.
4. 1987. The team that solidified me as Canes fan as a 12 year old kid.
5. 2025. What can I say? After 20+ years of disappointment this team finally got it turned around. This is certainly the most sentimental Miami team for me.
 
Advertisement
My mom has pics of me in the 80s with Canes gear on but the first game I have a clear memory of is the 91 Cotton Bowl.

2000
1991
2001
2025
1994
 
LPK2006 said:
I'm gonna make this harder on myself, and go with only teams that did not win the national title. Obviously.....2002 Miami is going to be excluded from this list since they did in fact win....

1. 1988 - this team was truly great, ruined FSU in the season opener and engineered an amazing comeback in front of a 6-figure crowd at the Big House. IMO, would have easily won the national title, but of course, were given the business from the infamous zebras in South Bend, IN.

2. 1990 - a 2-loss team that for whatever reason just didn't show up to play BYU in the opener (I think their conditioning at that time was just not up to playing at Provo, UT elevation), and lost a tough game at, again, South Bend. Obviously, they went on a run after that game, destroying teams, ultimately peaking at the end of the year and destroying Texas in the Cotton Bowl. If there had been a CFP at the time, this team would have been a problem, and may well have won another title.

3. 2025 - no need to go into any detail, we all just lived it.

4. 2000 - another team that dropped a game early in the season, but peaked at the end, and very, very likely would have beaten Oklahoma for the national title had the BCS not put FSU in instead.

5. 2017 - this was that team that really gave you a glimpse of what Miami being good in the modern era could look like. I still think this team could have gone further than it did. Rosier fought his *** off for the squad and is a true Cane in every sense, but just didn't have the arm that team really needed.

Honorable mention - 2024, 2020, 2016, 1999, 1998, 1994, 1981. I'm leaving 1986 off because I honestly still don't know why they lost to that Penn St team. And 1992, the manner of their loss against Alabama was just embarrassing, I was there. It was almost as if they just expected to walk on to the field and beat a very motivated team.

If I had to pick one team, it'd be the 1991 team. Man, that team just did not give up any points.
Click to expand...

The ‘88 team is up there for me too.
That ‘88 schedule (end of season rankings) would be the one that tops this year’s schedule.
 
Favorite isn't necessarily the best so I will show my bias as to when I was AT the U, but I also grew up a Canes fan.

2001
2000
1991
2002
1992 (the sugar bowl crushed me)

When I see all the answers here I realize this team is a couple **** hairs away from having 10 titles (1988, 2000, 2002, 1986, 2025).
 
Advertisement
kyhurricane said:
1. 2000. Will probably always be my favorite Canes. Guys like Santana Moss,Reggie Wayne, Dan Morgan, Al Blades and Leonard Myers will always hold a special place as they came to Miami during the dark days. Had a early loss to Washington in Seattle and never looked back. Ended the losing streaks to FSU and VT, and ended it with a Sugar Bowl win over the Gators. No doubt in my mind that this team would've throttled OU for the national championship.Not to sure this team wouldn't have beat the 01 Canes the way they were playing by the end of 00. This was the team that said we're back!
2. 1991. Wide right 1, the Bermuda Triangle and 4th national title. Horace Copeland, Lamar Thomas, Daryl Spencer and Kevin Williams to this day is still my favorite group of receivers. Look up the definition of defense and it should show a pic of the 91 Canes.
3. 2001. 5th national title and most talented team in college football history! 2nd string on this team would've been #2 in the country.
4. 1987. The team that solidified me as Canes fan as a 12 year old kid.
5. 2025. What can I say? After 20+ years of disappointment this team finally got it turned around. This is certainly the most sentimental Miami team for me.
Click to expand...
I LOVED the 2000 team too!!! I started “liking” Miami in 1999 due to Santana Moss. 2000 team comes along and that’s when I truly fell in love with the Canes and their us against everybody attitude.

2000 (I’ll go to my grave saying this team would’ve beat the brakes off Oklahoma that year for the Natty)
2001
2025
2002
2017
 
El Orange said:
Favorite isn't necessarily the best so I will show my bias as to when I was AT the U, but I also grew up a Canes fan.

2001
2000
1991
2002
1992 (the sugar bowl crushed me)

When I see all the answers here I realize this team is a couple **** hairs away from having 10 titles (1988, 2000, 2002, 1986, 2025).
Click to expand...
We’re 2 terrible calls away from 3-peat!
First call was to put FSU in over us in 2000
Second call was the PI vs OSU in 2002

Could’ve/should’ve been 3 ******* titles in a row!
 
These past 25 years

2001
2000
2025
2002
2024

2017 squad collapsed at the end of the year and that always left a bd taste in my mouth
 
Back
Top