... and Bama was Miami before Miami; titles in 1925, 1926, 1930, 1934, 1941, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979 and 1992 before Saban showed up.
As for what Miami can sell; the complete opposite experience to what kids will get in a small, podunk college town.
Miami isn't a sports town, it's an entertainment town—and the college football program is under the same scrutiny as pro teams.
Win, and everyone is on your side—not just alum and students; you are THE show in town.
Lose, and people have better things to do—again, without 40,000 undergrads and in a town with more to do that cup and smell farts, watch paint dry or support university athletics—Miamians don't turn out in droves to support a loser.
Private school on a picturesque campus in a quaint part of town, in a large city .... beaches ... nightlife .... pretty girls ... warm weather / no snow.
The city itself us the selling point; so sell the city—as it's the only thing that places like Tuscaloosa, Clemson, Athens, Columbus, Eugene, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Baton Rouge, DON'T have.