It's About Damn Time!

Those four simple words came comfortably rolling out of Lebron James' mouth on Thursday night after the Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in game five at the American Airlines Arena on the shores of beautiful Biscayne Bay to clinch their second NBA Championship. 

When asked how it felt to win his first NBA title the now formally anointed King James quickly and confidently responded: "It's about damn time." 

While those words reflected exactly how James felt at that moment in time, it also echoed the shared sentiments of all Miami sports fans longing for a chance to cheer for another championship team in their home town.

The stunningly decisive victory in front of a rowdy, sold-out and celebratory home town crowd set the stage for a massive street party all across Miami-Dade County that had not been seen in the 305 since 2006.  That was the last time the Heat won the NBA championship it was over the Dallas Mavericks and behind the stellar play of Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O'Neal.

For Miami sports fans it has been too long between those championship moments by their beloved teams from Miami, who for some strange reason the national media and other teams' fans seem to love to hate.  Why Miami's sports teams, college and pro, draw the ire of so many sports fans across the Country is a difficult thing to understand.

The Miami Dolphins haven't won a Super Bowl since the early 70's when Don Shula was appointed The Don of Miami after winning back-to-back rings and completing the NFL's only perfect season in 1972.  The Dolphins last played in a Super Bowl in 1984 when a young talented QB named Dan Marino was just ascending onto the NFL scene. 

Dan the Man and his Dolphin squad lost that Super Bowl to the San Francisco 49ers and then struggled to get back to the big game for the rest of his illustrious career in Miami.  Life after Dan and Don has been anything but productive for the 'Fins and less than enjoyable for Dolphin football fans.

The Florida Panthers flirted with a Stanely Cup title during the incredible and unlikely "Year of the Rat" back in 1996 when they went to the Cup finals against Colorado before bowing out to the Avalanche in four games. 

However, the Panthers have only been to the playoffs four times in 18 years and their 2012 appearance was their first in the post-season in 12 years. The Panthers are still hoping to catch some of that "rat magic" once again for their home town hockey fans who come in out of the heat to enjoy some cool ice time in hot, sunny South Florida.

The Florida (and now Miami) Marlins began play in 1993 and proceeded to win two Major League Baseball World Championships faster than any other franchise in MLB history back in 1997 and 2003.

Since then the Marlins have been stuck in mediocrity after they traded away their best players to cut salaries and survive what appeared to be a slowly dwindling fan base in spite of the early successes. 

Still, fans in the 305 now hope to see a resurgence of The Fish now that they have a new logo and a new stadium that was built on the same site where the famed Miami Orange Bowl used to stand.

Speaking of the Orange Bowl never was a street party in the 305 ever so loud and proud as it was after the Miami Hurricanes shocked the world and the Nebraska Corhuskers in the 1984 Orange Bowl after a spectacular, National Championship winning 1983 season under Howard Schnellenberger.  

The Hurricanes would go on to win another four NCAA National Championships under three different coaches in 1987, 1989, 1991 and 2001 in what amounted to the undisputed greatest 20 year run ever in the history of college football. 

At some point in time, and for an entire decade from 1983 to 1993, UM fans began to feel as though it was their birth right to either play in or win the National Championship on a yearly basis. 

But that was then, and this is now. It has been a long and difficult 10 year drought since Miami competed for or managed to bring home the BCS Crystal Ball.  In terms of college football history a decade is actually a relatively short time span, but to Hurricane fans, it seems much, much longer. 

Hurricane fans, spoiled over the years by success at the highest levels of college football, have clung to their team's glorious history while suffering through nearly a decade of being just average and while patiently and hopefully awaiting their resurrection under second-year head coach Al Golden. 

Certainly by now, after over 10 years of suffering through losing seasons while losing relevance in the National college football championship discussion, University of Miami football fans can't wait for the next time that a reporter from ESPN has the opportunity to ask UM head coach Al Golden:

"So how does it feel to win a National Championship after all this time?"

We hope that Al Golden responds just like Lebron James did the other night:

"It's about damn time!

Comments

[j.w.]

Really?

[j.w.]

Wow! A first!!!! Now that i read the thread, great work, CEO, glad to see you back. And thanks for the e-mail.

[2002nemo]

I would have been first; but there is a power outage in my neiborhood. Damn FPL!

[long time cane fan]

4th, but I'll take it!!!

[Ohio_Cane]

Andre johnson!

[4-Real]

Hunter Wells baby!!!

[orange 'n green in the vein]

I for one don't hope Golden quotes Lebron if and when he gets a hold of the crystal football in the playoff era, for one simple reason; it'll mean he's had a Beamer or Paterno type career to that point at UM, always left out or just falling short for years and years and years. I'm hoping he wins it soon and takes his NFL offer in the wake of it while he's still young if he's going to bolt. His quote should ideally be more along of the lines of, "We don't care about what others predict for our football team, we stick to our process to enjoy the fruits of its success," when they ask him how it feels to come out of nowhere before the season to win it all.

[UMike]

Ohio..did you see the link on the last blog for that fake Miami commit? lol

[CaneRock]

Uhhhh, shouldn't the person that writes the blog be first...technically?

[j.w.]

LOl, canesrock! CE) graciously allows us the honor of claiming first, and it's a thrill when you get it. :)

[j.w.]

Now that Sandusky is guilty, I'm wondering what happens next to Penn St. Is there really going to be a Dept. of Ed. investigation? If so, I'm curious what the penatlies could be, if any. If this is too big for NCAA jurisdiction (and I understand the arguments why it would be, why lack of institutional control should be, and honestly I think both are supported by rational arguments), that could be even worse for them. Is 1-4 guys going to prison, I'm guessing over $50,000,000 in civil lawsuit settlements/verdicts? My vote is no, but I'd like to hear other opinions on this.

[orange 'n green in the vein]

/\/\

What happens next? They pay the victims a metric f-ton of money before a jury in a civil case tells them to do the same anyways if their smart. I'm all for the NCAA stepping in and delivering some sanctions to the PSU athletic department . . . as soon as someone can show me the NCAA regulations the gay pedophile violated with his behavior, which to this point no one has done so to my satisfaction so it's not an NCAA issue. Now, that top of the line rental car Sammy Watkins was driving when he got busted for pot, that's a different story.

[j.w.]

that's the question, OGV- is violating the Clery Act (universities are required to report sexual assualts to the authorities) an NCAA violation? Or, stated another way, is deceiving authorities or covering up state and federal laws an NCAA violation? We've never seen a scandal this bad, in any sport, but the motive to cover up seems clear- save the football team and the school embarrasment. Now wth to do about it.

[Terrance Sullivan]

I love the Canes, I could give a flying flip about the Heat. Cant wait for Golden to lead us back to the promise land. The heck with LeBron he did his thing and an all time great player but the living heck with that Bucknut.

[canesteeler]

LBJ is classy because I would have told all of my critics to kiss my azz as I held the trophy over my head. I NEED SOME FOOTBALL!

[Swami for CEO]

Now, that top of the line rental car Sammy Watkins was driving when he got busted for pot, that's a different story.

Posted by: orange 'n green in the vein | June 23, 2012 at 11:49 PM

I've been saying that for WEEKS with no results. Funny, don't U think?

[Swami for CEO]

SKREETZ WALKING...

1. Yooooooo CEO, that boi Deon is as f n focused a rook that been at Miami in a few. That ballah just has greatness pourin out of him. A dedicated student of the game. Boi gotz that lean like hes makin it a priority of his to make the U great. Not just himself but the Miami Hurricanes great. Boi is a mental and physical FREAK. Yah freshmen make them rook mistakes but it wont be cause boi wasnt prepared.

2. Let that Ohio pimp know that his boi TH3 is buried in that playbook.

3. Jelani is crushin it and gettin that footwork straight, buildin that hand strength to fight blocks.

4. On the way is the jet off the edge Tyriq. That boi done got stronger and quicker. Just put him in tell ballah to go get the QB and its on lock

[Swami for CEO]

Watkins' white caddy and tag in police video:

http://www2.wspa.com/news/2012/may/30/41/clemson-star-sammy-watkins-arrested-university-pol-ar-3731114/

[Swami for CEO]

An officer stopped the white Cadillac that Watkins was driving and, after smelling marijuana, asked the player if there was any reason the car might smell like marijuana.

Watkins said, "No, I just got the car not long ago," according to the police report.

[TJL]

Go Three Lions!

[Ohio_Cane]

UMike, no I didn't, but let me guess, 4-Real FLIPPED, didn't he?

Lol, JK homie

[nemo2002]

Brittany Viola is up next on her quest to make the Olympic team - 10 meter platform diving event. She leads going into the finals today.
This is her third (and last) attempt to go to the Olympic Games.

GO LADY CANES!

[LB]

Sounds like the secondary is in good shape...

...and in time, even better.

[Q]

Wow Sammy. Read that article.. They cant keep sweeping that under the bus

[UMike]

Ohio..there is a link on the last blog to this kids twitter page..says he top this and that and a commit to us lol..he has no rivals page..but espn has him listed as a 5'7 cb with 4.7 speed lol..iasked him on his twitter if he was a miami of ohio commit..no reply yet lol

[nemo2002]

Brittany wins!
She's off to London!

[Swami for CEO]

Brittany wins!
She's off to London!

Posted by: nemo2002 | June 24, 2012 at 05:49 PM

Arc of a Diver, effortlessly...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIyX8jrd8jM&feature=related

[4-Real]

Jelani + Swasey = Kenneth Holmes

[CaneRock]

Posted by: Swami for CEO | June 24, 2012 at 05:56 PM

"But when you're born to run,
It's so hard to just so slow down,
So Don't be surprised to see me,
Back in the bright part of town."

YEAH SOUP! WINWOOD ROCKS!

[Ohio_Cane]

Matt Porter: Confirming there was a fight at #UCF team camp between Booker T. Washington and American Heritage (Delray).

[4-Real]

Any camp newz anyone?

[4-Real]

Since thangs are kinda slow let me get thangs popping... Yahoo just did a article bout how USC is tearing it up on the recruiting trail despite bn on probation. Claim they won't have any 3 stars in their class, plus their recruits are goin from camp 2 camp tearing it up & recruiting in the process. NOW THAT'S HOW U DO THANGS. P.s , how many Golden camp mvp's have a actual offers?

[orange 'n green in the vein]

You mean like Duke Johnson did last year 4-Real?

[LB]

Indeed USC has been tearing it up, and have been for years. But they've also been title-less since 2004. Dude, why the obsession with stars? There have been hundreds of studies (this site included) on how stars do not translate into the NCAA.

QB, TE, WR, and DT. We need them now. Olsen and Dobard are solid solid. Not sure about the WR's, but Bryant is at DT. But that's 2013.

I'd worry a lot more about the middle of the season schedule than the Aldarius Johnsons and Bryce Browns of the world.

[orange 'n green in the vein]

Record books say the '04 title is vacant, even though Auburn would have punked out anybody and their sister that year with the four first round picks on their roster, and LSU has the crystal football from '03, so if you want to be accurate about it and not get caught up with the media's infatuated love affair with all things $neaky Pete, Southern Cal hasn't won much of jack since the 70's, but hey, Matt Barkley is a whole game over five hundred against ranked teams, obviously he's straight money and not over-hyped in the least. (/sarcasm)

[LB]

As much as my USC point was to put some perspective to 4-Real's comments, I love Barkley. I would have no problem with him as a Denver Bronco. None at all.

Stars mean jack. Coaching, development, talent, attitude, schedule, hard work, and that QB mean the world.

[TonyCane]

Here's USC's Rivals rankings since they last won a national championship. Based on the rankings, they should have won every PAC 10 title and been a persistent competitor for the national championship.

2012: 8th
2011: 4th
2010: 1st
2009: 4th
2008: 8th
2007: 2nd
2006: 1st
2005: 1st

[Ohio_Cane]

James Jones told WQAM's Joe Rose show he'll either play for the Miami Heat or "call it curtains" on his NBA career.

[Ohio_Cane]

Recruiting Update: CaneSport recently interviewed 4-Star WR Jordan Cunnigham, 6'3'' and 175 lbs. http://ow.ly/bNPsG Insightful interview.

[Ohio_Cane]

^^ Papa Cane

[Ohio_Cane]

Papa Cane - Not only did OF/QB Grant Heyman turn down a pro contract to play for UM Baseball, he is going to be a walk-on for Football next year.

[Swami for CEO]

Posted by: TonyCane | June 25, 2012 at 09:07 AM

I love a man who does his research.

Information is power. More power to you!

[Swami for CEO]

Matt Barkley is a whole game over five hundred against ranked teams, obviously he's straight money and not over-hyped in the least. (/sarcasm)

Posted by: orange 'n green in the vein | June 25, 2012 at 08:44 AM

OGV...like U, I am curious to see how Barkley's game translates to the NFL. Time will tell.

[herbieibis]

I wish we had a Matt Barkley type at QB!

[pre83]

Congrats to Brittany:

Joy: That was evident on the face of 25-year-old Brittany Viola, daughter of former major-league pitcher Frank Viola, who made her first Olympic squad in three tries by winning the women's 10-meter platform competition.

"It's unreal," a beaming Viola said afterward.

Viola and runner-up Katherine Bell were the last of 11 divers — six women and five men — who earned spots on the U.S. team at the trials

[LB]

USC's rankings via ESPN?

2012- 13
2011- 4
2010- 7
2009- 4
2008- 7
2007- 1
2006- 2

Scout?
2012- 20
2011- 4
2010- 5
2009- 9
2008- 9
2007- 2
2006- 1
2005- 6
2004- 1

So yes, if recruiting stars mattered... USC should smoked the Pac 10 and at least played for 1 or two more titles. Stargazing is folly.

[LB]

To add to the discussion, anyone catch the latest with Zeke Pike?

[4-Real]

L.b, now pull up Miami's stats since 2004 lol

[orange 'n green in the vein]

Swami, I'll tell you exactly how he'll pan out right now;

Better than the lazy-eyed lefty, worse than, "I won an entire division title in the NFL once, then Al Davis traded for me on his deathbed," QB's that preceded him in college at his school. So in other words, a marginal 1st rounder who would be a steal if he fell to the 2nd since he'll be slightly better than average and nothing more if he stays healthy, but not all GM's will be able to hold off on the trigger in the first 32, so somebody will end up making a mistake.

[LB]

Not a problem, 4-Real. After all, we are attempting to equate recruiting rankings and wins, no?

From 2005-2011 for Miami? The rankings haven't been bad. They are in fact, much better than most.
Rivals: 7, 14, 19, 5, 15, 16, 36.
Scout: 12, 14, 13, 3, 24, 14, 35.
ESPN: 17, 9, 1, 7, 13, NR (stats only go back to 2005).

Shouldn't the 2007-2009 have caused them a little more success? Maybe it was Randy Shannon...

...or not. Michigan is a program rich in history, but they've been slumping until last year. However, their recruiting rankings have been also quite good. It should have given them at least another title, no?

Rivals: 6, 13, 12, 10, 8, 20, 21
Scout: 2, 9, 10, 6, 14, 12, 29
ESPN: 10, 10, 13, 10, 14, NR

Virginia Tech is absolutely successful, arguably the most in the ACC. But the recruiting rankings don't show it. In fact, in 3 separate services... they've only cracked the top 14 ONCE since 2005.

Rivals: 14, 32, 29, 18, 23, 23, 33
Scout: 18, 31, 25, 20, 41, 37, 39
ESPN: 24, 15, 15, 18, NR, NR

Using these rankings, UM should have had MUCH more success than VT. But they didn't.

UM did FAR worse than Boise State. This took a little work, as you'll see below:

Rivals: 64, 70, 68, 89, 72, 82, 53
Scout: 73, 78, 57, 64, 60, 97, 65
ESPN: Not ranked from 2005-

Not only did Boise State rack a few bad conference championships, but they're pretty awesome in bowl games (2005, 2009-2011).

What about FSU? Next to Alabama, you could argue that they've been THE most successful recruiters since 2005. However, the numbers 5, 6, 6, 4, 6, 4 and 4 stand out. Those are the number of losses that FSU has to go along with their stellar recruiting classes. Not a whiff of a national title. At least Boise State came close to an opportunity...

----

They don't work. At all. The rankings are folly. Nonsense. A way to keep fans interested from season to season.

[Swami for CEO]

For the second consecutive year, Miami football rewrote attendance records for its five one-day camp sessions and one specialists camp session of the annual Al Golden Football Camp Powered by Genewize. A total of 2,054 campers visited the Coral Gables campus this summer, including 559 high school and middle school student-athletes during the final session on Saturday, June 23.

It also marked the second consecutive year that more than 1,700 campers attended the camp. Miami’s previous record, set in 2011, was 1,755 campers.

“It is a true testament to our core values that the camp was able to provide an opportunity for more than 2,000 high school and middle school aged student-athletes to receive first-class fundamental instruction, an introduction into college coaching while also providing them exposure to campus life in Coral Gables,” said Head Coach Al Golden. “The coaching staff and I really appreciate all of the visiting college coaches, high school coaches, campers and their families who made the 2012 camp season a great experience for all involved.”

Campers have traveled to the Coral Gables campus from 31 states as well as Washington, D.C., Australia, Canada, England, Netherlands and Puerto Rico bringing more than 5,000 visitors annually to the University of Miami campus.

“It was great to see so many young student-athletes out here each camp working so hard and competing from start to finish,” said Camp Director Ryan McNamee. “There was a sense of purpose and a lot of energy provided from both the coaches and campers.”

[Swami for CEO]

LB...fantastic post! That is front page article worthy. Nice work there.

[Swami for CEO]

The University of Miami football program has added three new members to its staff as announced by Head Coach Al Golden Wednesday. Rob Messinger, Lindsay Bohlen and DJ Hernandez have joined the Hurricanes’ football staff in administrative capacities.

As Coordinator of Football Operations, Messinger, in an administrative role, will work with the National Recruiting Coordinator to maximize and streamline Miami football recruiting efforts across the nation, assist with on-campus recruiting efforts with primary focus on walk-ons and will serve as an academic liaison between the football staff and University academic officials.

Bohlen also joins the football staff as the Coordinator of Football Operations. Bohlen worked as an administrative assistant to head football coach Al Golden and to the Associate Athletic Director for Communications Chris Freet from 2010-12. Outside of her various jobs at Miami, Bohlen has worked for ESPN, IMG/Sony Ericsson Open and in the ticket office at Boston College.

Hernandez was hired as an offensive graduate assistant after serving as the quarterbacks coach at Brown University this past season. Hernandez will assist in all offensive efforts, but will spend much of his time coaching the wide receivers and assisting wide receivers coach George McDonald.

[Ohio_Cane]

RIP, Jerome Brown. 20 years ago today we lost an AMAZING CANE.

[4-Real]

Not just talkin bout recruiting stats Lb, I'm talkin national titles, conference titles & top 20 finishes. U made the comment that USC's last title wuz back in 2004. When was the last time we sniffed a nc again? How many acc ships we played 4 again? U asked why am I so obsessed with stars? My question 2 u is WHAT DO U HAVE AGAINST THEM?

[LB]

"When was the last time we sniffed a nc again? How many acc ships we played 4 again? U asked why am I so obsessed with stars? My question 2 u is WHAT DO U HAVE AGAINST THEM?"

1. 2003.
2. 0.
3. Yes.
4. See above.

"LB...fantastic post! That is front page article worthy. Nice work there."

Thanks, CEO.

[The What]

My question 2 u is WHAT DO U HAVE AGAINST THEM?

4-real

----------------

I think from the post above its pretty clear what LB an many on here have against the star system. It's not an exact science and should not be a measuring stick for your teams future success or failure.

I'll take Boise states recruiting rankings if it means being one loss away from the NC game. I bet Stanford wasnt even in the top 50 during harbaughs first couple years at Stanford. It's not an exact science. There is a reason butch Davis would tirelessly analyze players. There is more to it than going to a highschool game or looking at highlight clips.

[Anton]

Speaking of past great Hurricanes teams....

http://www.seventhfloorblog.com/2012/6/25/3095144/national-title-losers-1992

[LB]

For fear that I may have been incomplete in my thoughts, let's be more specific. UM only. As I have stated earlier, UM has had "recruiting success" according to the rankings. Now let's go year by year per player. Let's measure star rating vs. productivity (or living up to the hype), which should complete my thought. I'm going to use every 4-5 star, and a sample of the 3's and below. I’m only using ESPN’s ratings for time’s sake. If you deem it necessary, we’ll continue the study further.

2006:
4/5 stars:

LeSean McCoy- Transfer
Sam Shields- Not Productive
Kylan Robinson- No
Javarris James- Questionable
Chaz Washington- No

3-Below:
Matt Bosher- Beast
Ryan Hill- Yes
Jason Fox- Yes
Colin McCarthy- Beast

2007:
4/5 stars
Allen Bailey- Underachieved
Lee Chambers- No
Harland Gunn- Yes
Robert Marve- Transfer
Graig Cooper- Yes

3-Below:
Leonard Hankerson- Yes
Tyler Horn- Yes
Demarcus Van Dyke- No
Orlando Franklin- Yes
JoJo Nicholas- Questionable
Damien Berry- Yes
Kayne Farquharson- No

2008:
4/5 stars
Arthur Brown- Transfer
Sean Spence- Beast
Marcus Forston- Highly Questionable
Brandon Harris- Yes
Ramon Buchanon- TBD
Aldarius Johnson- Suspended
Davon Johnson- No
Jordan Futch- No
Marcus Robinson- Questionable
C.J. Holton- No
Taylor Cook- Transfer
Travis Benjamin- Yes
Thearon Collier- Transfer
Tommy Streeter- Yes (2011)
Laron Byrd- No
Jeremy Lewis- No
Brandon Washington- Yes
Jacory Harris- Yes (per new offensive coordinator)
Vaughn Telemaque- Yes
Gavin Hardin- No

This is a top heavy class, with little 3 and belows. This class, which was to be the resurrection class, has produced… what? Stars abound. Yet as you said, 4-Real… no conference titles. No bowl wins. Not the greatest endorsement of the star system.

2009:

4/5 stars:
Ray Armstrong- TBD
Prince Kent- Transfer
Brandon McGee- TBD
Jamal Reid- Transfer
Lamar Miller- Yes
Dyron Dye- No
Olivier Vernon- Questionable
Curtis Porter- TBD
Billy Sanders- No
Mike James- Yes

3-below:
A.J. Highsmith- TBD
Jermaine Johnston- TBD

2010:

4/5 stars:
Seantrel Henderson- Starter, TBD
Storm Johnston- Transfer
David Perry- No
Brandon Linder- Yes
Kevin Nelson-Transfer?
Eduardo Clements- TBD
Tavadis Glenn- No
Latwan Anderson- Transfer?

3-below:
Asante Cleveland- TBD
Shane McDermott- Starter, TBD
Stephen Morris- Projected Starter, TBD
Allen Hurns- Projected Starter, TBD
Jonathan Feliciano- TBD
Malcolm Bunche- Projected Starter, TBD

2011:

4/5 stars:
Anthony Chickillo- Projected Starter, TBD (Yes)
Kevin Grooms- Transfer
Dallas Crawford- TBD
Jalen Grimble- TBD

3-Below:
Denzel Perryman- Projected Starter, TBD (Yes)
Phillip Dorsett- Projected Starter, TBD
Rayshawn Scott- Projected Starter, TBD
Ryan Williams- TBD
Matt Goudis- TBD
Thomas Finnie- TBD

Al Golden has more projected starters from the 3’s than he does the 4’s and 5’s.

It’s very simple. The stars lie to you. They do not equate with productivity or success, especially at UM. If you use these stars as an emotional response or gut feeling, you shall be disappointed almost every time. Big stars come with big baggage… Zeke Pike, Bryce Brown, Latwan Anderson, Jordan Jefferson, Kevin Nelson, Robert Marve, Storm Johnson, Willie Williams, etc. Add in the confidential information on former UM players, and you’ve got trouble written all over it.

I've given straight data from above.

I again ask: why the obsession over stars?

[herbieibis]

4-Real I'm sure everyone on here is not going to bust out crying if we get a 5 star player, matter of fact most of the Spacers would be cutting cartwheels, if we got one. I keep up with recruiting and yes it bothers me when we don't get our fair share of the elite and we stand by while the Alabamas, USC, Tex, FShoo, plus a few more seem to be scooping up all the so-called big time High Schoolers. Unfortunately there can only be, in most years one Nat'l Champ. It takes a lot of variables for those elite players in high school to become elite in college, namely dam good coaching and a staff that doesn't have a revolving door, like we've had in the past. Va. Tech wins 10 games a year because of coaching not because they have a bevy of 4 & 5 star players. Most of their staff have been together 20 years. I tell you what a load of 4 & 5 star players does get you 80% of the time, is a place in the top ten. I'll guarantee you this, if we got 15 4 star players or better, 6 or 7 would never pan out.I could go back the last 8 years and every 5 star player we've gotten to this point hasn't done much. During that same time period, it seems that most of our players that get drafted are better pros than college players. Why, I guess because their playing for some loot. No matter who we get, they still have to be coached and until we get some better quality players at certain positions we will continue to be going in circles chasing our tail. Golden's getting us the right track but we are still at least 2 years away, in my humble opinion, of getting back inside the top 10.

[LB]

National Championship playoff plans per ESPN:

"The plan to be presented would go into effect during the 2014 season. Under the proposal, national semifinals would be played on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. The sites for those games will rotate among the four current BCS games -- Rose, Sugar, Orange and Fiesta -- and possibly another bowl or two.

The national championship game would be played about 10 days later at another neutral site. The title game site would be bid on the way the NFL handles where the Super Bowl is played. Any city that can pay the multimillion dollar tab and accommodate a huge event could potentially host college football's championship game, including those that don't currently host bowl games."

So Miami could potentially host the Orange Bowl semifinal and a national championship via a winning bid? WOW. Wouldn't that be awesome? Even more awesome will the hometown Canes be... if they host.

"The plan also calls for college football's final four to be determined by a selection committee, though who will be on that committee and how big it will be is to be determined."

I think a 13-0 Cane team would nab one of those four spots, even if only for TV sakes...

...alas, forthcoming dreams.

[Swami for CEO]

LB...Post of the Month! Good researc and an unbiased opinion based on the facts. Who woulda thunk it could happen on The Space!

Email me, U know where.

[LB]

"4-Real I'm sure everyone on here is not going to bust out crying if we get a 5 star player, matter of fact most of the Spacers would be cutting cartwheels, if we got one"

UM does average 1-2 5 stars per class, though. Howard/Johnson (2012), Chickillo/Grimble (2011), Henderson/Anderson (2010), Armstrong (2009), etc.

Whether they pan out or not... well, you know. :)

[The What]

By 2014 the canes should be a 10 win team easily in the top 10 and fighting for one of those 4 spots. The ACC is about to become a 4 horse race between VT, Clemson, FSU and Miami. I don't expect much this season as an 8 win season would be deemed highly successful. But in 2013 is when it all comes together and the canes dominate with defense and have a good offense behind Crowe (I do believe he will beat out all current qbs).

[The What]

Oops I meant by 2013 not 2014.

[The What]

My Crow prediction is based on other predictions here.

By the way LB that is great info you provided. Thanks for that. It was ver enlightening.

[Swami for CEO]

NEW BLOG IS UP!