The Canyonero Keys to Victory for every Miami Hurricanes game this season

The Miami Hurricanes have a possible shot at 12-0, and a really possible chance to finish the regular season at 10-2. Either way, Miami’s goal in 2024 has to be the ACC Championship Game, if not becoming the ACC Champions. It’s been 20 year journey for Miami in the ACC without a single title, the ‘Canes are due.

Much like Homer drools over the Canyonero, Hurricanes fans spend every off-season drooling over preseason rankings, the transfer portal, and new assistant coaches only to wind up disappointed come Thanksgiving.

For one reason or another, the last 20 years have seen some ‘unexplained fires’ hit the program. In 2004, aka the start of the demise under Larry Coker, Miami lost to unranked UNC and Clemson in back-to-back weeks and no.10 Virginia Tech.

In 2009 under Randy Shannon Miami started the season with four straight ranked opponents and came out 3-1 before losing once again to unranked UNC and Clemson, and dropping the bowl game to Wisconsin.

In 2017 Miami won 10 straight games before dropping three in a row including unranked Pitt. The unranked part seems to come back up time and again. This was the start of the wheels coming off for Mark Richt as he retired a year later with health concerns.

In 2020 Manny Diaz had the team at 7-1 before being blown out by UNC and then losing the bowl game to Oklahoma State. At least those three losses were all to ranked teams, including no.1 Clemson.

And then the Mario Cristobal Era began. In ‘22 Miami was horrible losing to MTSU, Duke and Pitt and being destroyed by FSU and Clemson. In ‘23, Miami knocked off Texas A&M but lost the ultimate blunder against Ga. Tech as well as a third straight loss to FSU.

Miami has to win Bully Ball versus…

Cristobal can’t roll up in the F Series. For all this alpha male, fyzical, bully ball talk about the trenches we’ve heard over the years- two opponents are going to try to really fight physical with physical.

The Florida Gators and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will be lining up and coming at Miami in different ways. Florida more like the Wisconsin Badgers teams under Paul Chryst, and Ga. Tech with a more Wing-T counter, power, sweep aspect in mind.

Both, however, are going to want to run the rock and play defense while kicking field goals and winning a 17-16 type of game which should have Cristobal drooling.

Bully Ball should work just fine

This is the group of teams that should be no sweat for Miami, but will try to play the same game: the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Duke Blue Devils and Virginia Tech Hokies. Wake will run their slow mesh and try to control the clock.

Va. Tech’s QB, Kyron Drones will be a lot to handle as a runner and Maalik Murphy and Duke will mix in deep shots with ball control and Diaz’s blitz ‘em to death defense.

These will be the “Lite” version of Miami that the ‘Canes need to stop losing games to. Mario has been losing to unranked teams in key situations since his time at Oregon and the Rose Bowl season with Justin Herbert.

The Gunners

These are the programs that also don’t have close to the same level of talent, but Miami will have to crack the whip and outrun ‘em: the USF Bulls and Syracuse Orange. Fran Brown at Syracuse has brought in an Ohio State QB to mix with UGA WR’s and a tough nosed RB that was already on campus.

USF has stud QB Byrum Brown and an offensive genius as a head coach in Alex Golesh. Golesh could be on the fast track out of Tampa if he can land a major upset over Miami.

Miami has to keep pushing the scoreboard against both of these teams and can’t come out flat with three and outs.

Avoid self-implosion

The Canyonero randomly implodes and so does Miami. It hasn’t mattered who was the head coach but does seem a fairly common trend for Cristobal. His alpha #GrindSZN stuff has just worn the team down over the long seasons and his high rate of injury numbers go back to his time with the Oregon Ducks.

While losing to 9-of-12 teams on this really weak schedule would be self-implosion; the one that I really see is the Cal game. After six straight games Miami heads to Berkeley to face the Cal Golden Bears right before an off week and sandwiched after playing mini-rival Virginia Tech.

Cal has been half of a team every season under Justin Wilcox. Previously they were all defense, last year all offense. This will take major focus on the part of the coaching staff and players to come out of a weird game like this unscathed.

Head down and drive

FAMU and Ball State are just deers and squirrels bouncing off the front bumper of the Canyonero. Both of these contests are no contest in the end. I expect Miami to win both games by 40+. Just come out of them with no injuries and experience for younger talent.

The Cadillac of games goes to…

Louisville and Florida State are the only programs that can match Miami in terms of being ranked, having a shot at the ACC Championship Game, and any chance at the 12-team playoff.

The Cardinals are the least talented of the three (counting Miami) on paper, and FSU’s Blue Chip Ratio is at 49% this season- just below the cutoff. However, Bud Elliott’s BCR has never been tested in a 12-team playoff before, so we’ll see where the cutoff lies in a season of true attrition.

While Miami will have to battle Deployment wits with Louisville’s Jeff Brohm and DC Ron English and with FSU’s Mike Norvell and DC Adam Fuller. Both head coaches have a tight grip on the offense, and have given leeway to their DC’s.

Can Miami OC Shannon Dawson and DC Lance Guidry match wits with the coordinators at UofL and FSU? Miami is 0-1 vs. L’ville and 0-2 vs. the ‘Noles in the Cristobal Era.

The Wrap

It’s been a fun this off-season preparing for another year of ‘Canes football. There are only two teams on this schedule that can even come close to matching talent with Miami, and now that the ‘Canes have a 61% Blue Chip Ratio it’s really not even a competition for FSU or Louisville.

Enjoy the ride.