The Latest…

My indifference ran until just before halftime when UCLA led, 20-10. The text messages came in from the west coast contingent. “ACC sucks”, “where’s the defense?”, etc. Right then a switch went off and I was Noles305 for the next two quarters. I dug seeing the Canes counterpart lighting up a Pac-10 team.

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.

REGARDING THE CANES, I can finally mention the name of last week’s unnamed potential offensive coordinator, Walt Harris. According to one of my guys, Harris was interested and put in a call but Randy Shannon wasn’t. Nothing was pursued and I was told to sit on the name until Harris got a call back or enough time has passed, essentially eliminating his name from the search.

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.

ON A SIDE NOTE, we have Rutgers vs. Kansas State tomorrow. What’s the over/under on how many times the announcers bring up Greg Schiano and Miami? I’ll say 5 separate references during the course of the game. Sadly, most won’t see it as the Texas Bowl is on the NFL Network, which few households get.

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.