Randy Shannon probably would have scheduled a pee wee football team as the opponent in the Hurricanes' Dolphin Stadium debut tonight if he could have gotten away with it. Instead they're facing FCS (formerly known as Division I-AA) team Charleston Southern. The CSU Bucaneers are 0-4 against FBS (the division formerly known as I-A, worst name changes ever) teams, so if the Canes don't christen their new home with the tears of Charleston fans, they're in more trouble than anyone thought.
Dolphin Stadium is about 50 minutes away from the Coral Gables campus. The school will charter air conditioned buses to shuttle students to and from games. That's good news for the public -- a fact that anyone caught on the Metrorail when students were headed to Orange Bowl games can confirm. Of course, it's bad news for Mother Earth. Chartering a fleet of gas-guzzling luxury buses that leave campus every 15 minutes for a 50 minute trip probably undoes any gains for the environment UM claimed to have made by banning Freshmen from owning cars. Yeah, yeah the environment, we know it's in trouble, but its not struggling as bad as the Canes.
The team used to be a perennial contender for the national championship. Last season they couldn't even make it into a bowl game. After tonight things get tougher. The un-ranked next week will face the number five Florida Gators in Gainesville. So enjoy what should be a victory tonight, Canes fans. The game won't be televised, but will be streamed online at ESPN360. WVUM 90.5fm will also be broadcasting play by play.
