As of last season, the old days of ‘The U’ looked to be resurged through the reigns of Mark Richt. Miami shocked the world and was ranked as high as third in the nation during the season. But, a skid at the end of the season crushed their playoff hopes as they lost 3 of their last 4 games — all by double digits. But, Miami has the foundation of a championship team to build on going into next season.
Roster
The Canes showed a lot of promise last season with young talent and now head into this season with the same expectations. Miami will have their second season with QB Malik Rosier who had his fair share of big moments in 2017.
Miami also returns junior wideout Ahmmon Richards. He’s coming off knee surgery but is expected to return to his Freshman All-America form of 2016. He leveled Michael Irvin’s 31-year-old UM first-year record for receiving yards with 934.
Miami also brings in the 12th ranked recruiting class for 2017, and the 9th ranked recruiting class for this years freshman class. To add, the Canes return most of their team on both sides of the ball — seven starters, both on offense and defense come back to the U.
Schedule
A lot of teams can have a talented roster, but schedule is arguably just as important to make the playoff. The two hardest games the Canes have next season are on the road opening weekend in LSU, and at Virginia Tech in mid November. Miami hosts a muffled Florida State team, and hosts Pittsburgh at the end of the season.
Other than those four teams, Miami will definitely be the better team the rest of their schedule. The one game that could be considered a ‘trap game’ would be on the road against Boston College. With a running back like AJ Dillon — Miami cannot afford to be tripped up in that game.
Coaching
Programs that make the College Football Playoff do not make it by accident. Coaching is one of the biggest factors in the success of a college team. Just look at the final four teams last season, Dabo Swinney, Kirby Smart, Nick Saban, and Lincoln Riley.
Before Miami hired Mark Richt, they were in despair as a program — experiencing little success since 2005. In 2014, the Canes finished with a 6-7 record and finished a little stronger in 2015 with and 8-5 record. In Richt’s first season, the Canes finished 9-4 — and finished 10-3 last season. Under Richt, the Canes have resurged their recruiting as they trend upward.
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