Not too much brewing this down week between Christmas and New Years. Miami headed to Boise today, but when it’s not a BCS game travel days get no TV coverage. The Canes have been a forgotten bunch since Thanksgiving weekend.
Come Sunday, it’s blue turf time and an opportunity to get some good press and enter 2007 on a good note after a nightmarish 2006.
Earlier tonight Florida State mopped up UCLA, 44-27. I started watching the game not giving a damn what happened. For me, a win-win. Noles lose and go 6-7, I get to bust some friends balls. Bruins lose, I’m pulling that “state pride” and “A-C-C” card on my So Cal pals who trashed me all year when the Canes choked.
Miami plays Florida State and we settle it on the field, but rarely can I silence the UCLA and USC chatter. A head-to-head match up between two good conference teams is as good as we’ll get, so I’ll take it.
The late shift in momentum, defensive stands, kids with that bounce in their step and dare I say, “swagger” – it’s a Sunshine State brand of football and seeing it whoop up on the finesse conference like the Pac-10 made for a decent evening. Here’s hoping Miami does the same to Nevada on Sunday night.
Remind the nation these two recent dynasties aren’t going to stay gone for long.
Dirk Koetter is still the leading candidate, but will he uproot his family after six years living just outside Tempe, AZ? There’s your million dollar question. Koetter’s has four kids between 7 and 13 years old. He’s a west coast guy who just spent nine years as the top guy between Arizona State and Boise State. Is he willing to uproot his family and head to Miami? He still on ASU’s payroll and could afford to kick back and mull it over.
I believe Shannon is targeting Koetter big time. If he gets him, that’s a huge coup. It’ll take a hell of a sales pitch to get him here, but it’s a great way for Koetter to reestablish himself after seven topsy–turvy years with the Sun Devils. In the end, I don’t think Koetter will pack up the fam and put them through a Tempe-to-Coral Gables transition. Who does that leave? We’ll see.
Regarding guys leaving early, it sounds like Greg Olsen and Jon Beason are both 100% gonzo. I think the Olsen rumor’s been around since his big 3rd quarter catch against Boston College, but Beason will still be a surprise to me. I’m hoping for a last second change of heart.
The Shannon factor, a new regime, the opportunity to lead the defense, etc. Give that up if you’re a top fifty pick. Anything less, come back to The U. This could be the start of something special.
A triple overtime loss in the season finale (at West Virginia) is the difference between a meaningless December 28th bowl, big BCS money and a nationally televised January 2nd showdown in Miami against Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl.
Make sure to remind your Scarlet Knight pals about that – and their 1-2 skid down the stretch – when they get high and mighty over keeping the Home Depot coach of the year around until the Penn State gig opens.
I would have never thought about Walt Harris. He doesn’t seem like a Miami guy, more PA/OH/Midwest area kind of person. It could have been an interesting union I guess. Let’s just hope we get someone with a real offensive mind who CAN ADJUST DURING GAMES. The last two guys were supposedly going to change things, and it tuned out you or I could have called a better game. I’d take an young, upcoming OC who’s hungry just as willingly as an estbalished mind. They can’t really be worse than what we’ve had. As far as last night’s game, I did not want FSU to win at all just because they get so much unjustified hype. I was kind of happy Booker actually did something in his last game. UCLA made the same mistake we did this year and left him open in the flat where he did damage once again. All you have to do is cover the backs out of the backfield. Weatherford is barely an average QB who can’t make plays on his own. He’s horrible. Another Thad Busy. But enough about those clowns….I’m looking forward to seeing who comes aboard for both coordinating positions, line coach and then getting some players in here for 2007. The next thing will be to see where we end up in preseason rankings. I’m sure somewhere between 15 and 20 which is funny. Miami has one bad year and we’ll fight all year to get to top 10. Another team will get the benefit of the doubt that it was a fluke season. Oh well. Just add it to the list of slaps. Bring it!