I’m not digging the word on the street…

For the record, I am at a point where I believe nothing I read, hear or see regarding the future of Miami Hurricanes Football. Half the time I don’t even trust myself anymore.

The rumors and speculation are endless. Ever since the loss to Louisville, there has been more chatter surrounding The U than Paris Hilton’s sex life. Everyone seems to be in the know – about Miami, not Paris – and quotes a ‘reliable source’ though they never reveal the identity of Deep Throat.

(Insert your own Hilton joke here…)

In mid-September there were rumblings about an alleged Board of Trustees emergency meeting. Word was that Larry Coker would be fired on Monday September 18th. Days later, the story of the meeting was proven false and LC was on the sidelines two weeks later watching Miami limp past Houston.

The next few weeks after the loss to the Cards, the Canes beat up on a few nobodies and eeked pasts a few others. During that time, more rumors ran rampant. Especially after the FIU brawl. Everyone and their mothers had the inside scoop. Coker was gone. Butch Davis was set to return. Davis even supposedly bought a home in South Florida and was ‘interested’ in the Miami job, if offered.

This notion had North Carolina fans chiming in that Davis was headed to Chapel Hill, once it was announced that John Bunting was gone at season’s end.

Heading into Georgia Tech week, some were saying the Coker was gone if Miami lost and was officially out of the ACC hunt. Paul Dee and Donna Shalala led the rallying cry for weeks that the Canes could still with the conference , yet once Miami lost 30-23 last weekend both have shunned the spotlight. Apparantly sticking by their, “evaluate things at season’s end” stance.

Miami started 1-2, is now 5-3 and the vibe has seemed like Dead Coach Walking since the Canes are 0-3 against the three decent teams they’ve played on their schedule. Just when you’re ready to stick a fork in the Coker Era, WQAM reports that even if the Canes lose out, his job may be safe since the athletic department can’t afford to swallow his contract.

Could this really be the case? The Miami admin has to see the angry lynch mob growing on San Amaro Drive. Most of them have been out there since the Peach Bowl debacle while others set up shop the moment Coker didn’t protest the late flag in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl loss. Can they really enter 2007 without a changing of the guard? What kind of message does that send to supporters of this program?

2006 marks the third straight season Miami has fallen short of a BCS berth. It’s also year three of the ACC experiment and the Canes are yet to even sniff a conference championship. Throw in a 6-5 record the past 11 games, the worst bowl loss in school’s history, the FIU brawl and a well-documented steady decline since 2003. How could a change not be in store?

Money. What other answer could there be? The U’s move to the ACC was financially driven, as were Labor Day match ups – which watered down and hurt a once proud rivalry.

With Miami already eating the contract of former head basketball coach Perry Clark, can The U afford to buy out Coker AND pony up cash for the likes of a Davis or Greg Schiano?

Only Donna knows.

Maybe all this WQAM talk is a calculated ruse. Scare the fans, boosters and supporters into believing that Coker will return as, “it’s a $$$ thing… you wouldn’t understand.”

Let the loudmouthed diehards with deep pockets think that a lack of funds will prevent a coaching change and see what they’ll pony up to make a difference. If you can afford to fly a plane over the Orange Bowl calling for the coach’s head, you can bet the admin believes you have some extra scratch to donate to the program.

Or maybe some of the conspiracy theorists are right and Shalala is content with Miami being a middle of the road team in a big conference with guaranteed revenue, an 84% graduation rate and a ‘nice guy’ coach who doesn’t back-talk or get in the president’s way.

I don’t have a clue where any of this is headed and anyone who says they do, they’re full of it.

ESPN wants more people tuning into SportsCenter and logging on, as do the Herald, Sun Sentinel and various other major media outlets. Talk radio is always throwing crap to the wall to see what sticks and at day’s end all of this is done to generate more ad revenue. The Miami top brass? They’re just trying to keep the peace until the season comes to a crashing halt.

Controversy sells, hence why every station showed video footage of Brandon Meriweather stomping out a Golden Panther. I’ll bet 99.9% of the folks who saw the regurgitated footage didn’t know #19 went visit to a children’s hospital 24 hours prior, signing autographs and hanging out with sick kids for an entire afternoon before taking the field against FIU.

This current hype machine surrounding The U right now is being implemented for one of a few reasons:

#1 – Coker is gone at season’s end and the admin is trying to drum up some booster money to ensure this is the case.

#2 – Coker will be here in 2007 as the admin can’t afford to let him go and they’re delaying the official news in an effort to not incite a riot.

Right now one is as viable an option as the next.

If Miami had the dinero, the game plan I laid out to Paul Dee a few days back would’ve been in play this past Monday. Being the athletic department is strapped for cash, it seems like a little shuckin’ & jivin’ will occur as Miami stumbles through the final four games of this season.

Stay tuned and for God’s sake, quit believing the hype.

.:Canes305:.

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