So the Miami Hurricanes -- the ones that were unranked going into the season, the ones that some folks predicted would go 0-4 in one of the toughest opening schedules in recent history against four ranked opponents, the ones that were picked to finish fourth in their division -- yeah, they're 3-1 and number 11 in the nation. Even with that incredibly crappy roughing penalty in the third quarter that led to a Sooners TD, the Canes still defeated Oklahoma 21-20.
Let's break it down with a bit of news and views:
- Randy Shannon's job is no longer in question. "Randy Shannon is going to be our head coach for a long, long time," Miami AD Kirby Hocutt told ESPN. We would really also like to hear that Mark Whipple is going to be our offensive coordinator for a long, long time, but congrats, Randy.
- A lot of Canes fans are still reluctant to call LandShark Stadium home, but the team has won its last five games there. It might not be a traditional college stadium, but establishing a dominance on the home turf will be key to re-establishing Miami's reputation as a contender. The Canes -- or anyone -- might never be able to duplicate that 58-game streak at the Orange Bowl, but considering the remaining home games this season are against FAMU, Clemson, Virginia, and Duke, they could be well on their way to an enviable home record.
- Speaking of FAMU, that's next week. The team is undefeated -- in FCS play. The game won't have the drama or challenge of the past four matchups, but if you're thinking about going, remember that FAMU's marching band is really good, like, really, really good. Like, if UM has the most successful football program of the past 30 years, FAMU has the most successful band of the past 30 years. So it'll be a meeting of the titans, sort of.
