THE U IS BACK
Mark Richt looked at his second season in Miami as an opportunity to continue building a foundation, with 10 wins and an ACC Coastal title as a best-case scenario. Coming from where the Canes were, reaching the team's first-ever ACC championship game alone would have qualified 2017 as a huge success.
Now? A turnover-chain-wearing A-Rod and girlfriend J.Lo are cheering on a team that's a win over Notre Dame away from entering the projected playoff field. Thanks to losses by No. 6 Ohio State and No. 7 Penn State and No. 9 Wisconsin’s weak schedule, there's a very good chance the Canes will be sitting at No. 7 heading into a matchup against the Irish this weekend. Miami may even jump ahead of TCU for the No. 6 spot.
Since its last true national title contender over a decade ago, Miami has always had access to the talent necessary to turn things around quickly if the right coach took over. Likewise, Richt and his staff would argue competing for titles is something they expected right away. But let's be real: If Richt were forced to answer honestly about his 2017 expectations, there's no way he'd predict Saturday's Catholics vs. Convicts rekindling was going to have so much riding on it.
https://www.si.com/college-football...ings-scenarios-analysis-miami-auburn-oklahoma
Mark Richt looked at his second season in Miami as an opportunity to continue building a foundation, with 10 wins and an ACC Coastal title as a best-case scenario. Coming from where the Canes were, reaching the team's first-ever ACC championship game alone would have qualified 2017 as a huge success.
Now? A turnover-chain-wearing A-Rod and girlfriend J.Lo are cheering on a team that's a win over Notre Dame away from entering the projected playoff field. Thanks to losses by No. 6 Ohio State and No. 7 Penn State and No. 9 Wisconsin’s weak schedule, there's a very good chance the Canes will be sitting at No. 7 heading into a matchup against the Irish this weekend. Miami may even jump ahead of TCU for the No. 6 spot.
Since its last true national title contender over a decade ago, Miami has always had access to the talent necessary to turn things around quickly if the right coach took over. Likewise, Richt and his staff would argue competing for titles is something they expected right away. But let's be real: If Richt were forced to answer honestly about his 2017 expectations, there's no way he'd predict Saturday's Catholics vs. Convicts rekindling was going to have so much riding on it.
https://www.si.com/college-football...ings-scenarios-analysis-miami-auburn-oklahoma