The Short List To South Beach: Week 10

The final month of the regular season begins in college football and only the following teams are left in the running for the top prize in the game:

Texas, Alabama, Penn State, Texas Tech,, Utah, Boise State, Tulsa, Ball State, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Florida State, Southern Cal, Minnesota, Oklahoma State.

These sweet sixteen schools now have just one last month of games to navigate in order to set themselves up for an invitation to play for the grand prize in the New Year.  Only one team that I called for elimination from the shortlist survived and they keep themselves alive for another precious seven days:

Georgia goes on the road and ends LSU's dreams of a repeat with a solid performance from the preseason number one team.  Injuries and the rigors of the SEC have taken their toll on the Bulldogs and they now head to Jacksonville for another Shortlist elimination game against their hated rival the Florida Gators.  

Four teams fell off the Shortlist to South Beach last week without me calling for them, the defending champs and three also-rans:

LSU drops their second game of the year, but unlike last year, there will be no miracle finish for Les Miles and his overrated defending champions.  The worst BCS era champion ever gave the title defense a try but only an improvement on last years results would have impressed me, a repeat at best won't be worth another tarnished title this year.

Boston College falls on the road to North Carolina as Butch Davis continues to walk the tightrope of the ACC like a virtuoso.  Somehow this man finds a way to get his teams to win the close games after failing to make that breakthrough in his first season on a weekly basis.  I still think he should have lost in Miami this year and is living on borrowed time at the basketball school but for now he looks like the college coaching guru he was at the end of the 90's.

Georgia Tech answers the bell but forgets about the rest of the game and finds their ACC division lead and their Shortlist stay revoked in the rudest possible of manners by visiting Virginia as they are outworked by the Cavaliers over the corse of the game.  Paul Johnson has had success this year with the novelty of the triple option but will it continue to work in this competitive defensive conference routinely?  That remains to be seen.

Northwestern loses a shocker to Indiana as a great season comes crashing into reality at the hands of the Hoosiers.  The Wildcats have won their share of Big 10 games the last decade but to have such a promising start come abruptly to a stop due to a loss to a down year Indiana team begins to border on inexcusable for Pat Fitzgerald.

Tulsa, Georgia.

The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, and yes I got the memo about the name change a few years ago, I just ignore it, is a Shortlist elimination game this week as both rivals are looking to add insult to injury after last years' sideshow in the end-zone. 

I expect the better team to assert themselves over the corse of this game as Florida finds a way to payback the year's worth of frustration with a forceful statement about their readiness to navigate the final month of the season.

The Shortlist to South Beach closes ever closer to a mere handful of teams populating it and next week is guaranteed to see some eliminations and change in order as the season enters it's final stretch.  Enjoy the games this week and come back here next week as the contenders rise to the occasion or fall off in humbling fashion here on the Shortlist to South Beach.

Copyright 2008 Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com

Comments

[canezilla]

1st again?

[canezilla]

i want cat 5 to BRING that shirt to me now.back 2 back

[canezilla]

ok ok james has 135 yards and cooper 180

[Montreal-Cane]

Outside of the South Florida area....

If we cannot get ESPN 360 Is there another way to watch the game online tomorrow at noon?

Can we get CBS4 WFOR online? Or Raycom online or any others...

[Montreal-Cane]

Just got the word from Darkside TV, they will show the game Miami at Virginia at noon tomorrow it was just confirmed to me...

http://fr.justin.tv/thedarkside_tv

[Keoki]

noth'n but crickets...

[phillyscott]

Yes six, your Rays were beaten.....handily

Went to parade yesterday, will NOT make that mistake again.....Forgot what the average Phillite was all about.....I had seen where they werent serving beer at the stadium yesterday where they were having the speeches, so I had tickets, threw 2 kegs in truck, and went to tailgate .....was like throwing a cheese block in a roomfull of rats

just saw where finally ABC woke up and put the game on gameplan....thank god
was also reading where in latest bowl projections we are picked for gator vs ND....that would be sweet, but winning this thing (ACC) after starting 2-3 would be nicer...

[hurriphin]

hurriphin...the U.
jon pettie

[JD74]

hurriphin,

i've noticed you're always mentioning ex-U alums in your posts. what gives?

[SOUP]

noth'n but crickets...

Posted by: Keoki | November 01, 2008 at 02:14 AM

I guess people are SCARED to blog on Halloween night? Or busy?

[Calvin]

Interesting, since 2003 g-tech only beat virginia once, the good news is the last time they beat them was the last year nix was the oc. The 3-4 has given chan gailey an his staff fits, since staf being nix, it'll be interesting, we do have the talent though.

[SOUP]

UM History and Traditions:

http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/1,1770,2472-1;2671-3,00.html

UM Facts and Figures:

http://www6.miami.edu/UMH/CDA/UMH_Main/1,1770,2472-1;23085-3,00.html

[DATcane]

Game day!

[SOUP]

PHILADELPHIA -University of Miami Hall of Famer Pat Burrell became the second Hurricane in as many years to win a Major League Baseball World Series title as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-3, Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Burrell, who has spent his entire 11-year big league career with the Phillies, delivered what would prove to be the series-clinching run with a double in the seventh inning as Philadelphia won its first championship since 1980 with a 4-1 series win.

With the score tied at three in the seventh, Burrell - the Phillies' starting leftfielder - hit a 1-1 pitch off the wall in center off J.P. Howell to lead off the bottom half of the inning. After Burrell was lifted for pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett, Pedro Feliz drove in the game-winning run two batters later with a one-out single up the middle of Chad Bradford to plate Bruntlett from third.

A third baseman at Miami from 1996-98, Burrell follows up former UM shortstop Alex Cora, who on a ring last year with the Boston Red Sox.

[SOUP]

The University of Miami men’s basketball team is ranked No. 17 in the preseason Associated Press Poll released today. It is the highest preseason ranking ever by the Hurricanes in the AP Poll and marks Miami’s highest ranking in that poll since 2001-02 when UM reached No. 12 in the first week of February.

The Hurricanes were ranked No. 16 in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches’ Poll released yesterday, tying the highest preseason ranking by Miami in program history.

The Hurricanes are among four ACC teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 and are the highest ranked team in Florida in both the AP and USA Today/ESPN preseason polls.

Frank Haith’s Hurricanes were ranked as high as No. 19 in the AP Poll last season, en route to a 23-11 finish and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Miami returns four starters and 82.8 percent of its scoring – including 97.9 percent of its three-pointers – from that squad, including Preseason All-ACC Team pick Jack McClinton.

The Hurricanes play the first of two exhibition games on Saturday, Nov. 1, with a 5:30 p.m. tilt versus Florida Memorial. Miami opens the regular season at home versus Florida Southern on Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

For ticket information, please contact the Hurricane Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-CANES.

[SOUP]

USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches’ Poll

1. North Carolina (36-3) 1800

2. Connecticut (24-9) 1661

3. Louisville (27-9) 1638

4. UCLA (35-4) 1487

5. Pittsburgh (27-10) 1319

6. Michigan State (27-9) 1311

7. Texas (31-7) 1259

8. Duke (28-6) 1250

9. Notre Dame (25-8) 1243

10. Gonzaga (25-8) 1162

11. Purdue (25-9) 1099

12. Oklahoma (23-12) 987

13. Memphis (38-2) 977

14. Tennessee (31-5) 920

15. Arizona State (21-13) 645

16. Marquette (25-10) 592

17. Miami (Fla.) (23-11) 570

18. Southern Cal (21-12) 414

19. Florida (24-12) 403

20. Davidson (29-7) 347

21. Wake Forest (17-13) 312

22. Georgetown (28-6) 311

23. Villanova (22-13) 256

24. Kansas (37-3) 233

25. Wisconsin (31-5) 196

[SOUP]

17. Miami (Fla.) (23-11) 570

18. Southern Cal (21-12) 414

19. Florida (24-12) 403

Heh, heh, heh...

[SOUP]

THE SERIES

This will be only the sixth game between the two schools, with Miami holding a 3-2 lead in the series. Virginia has won the last two meetings over the Hurricanes - a 17-7 win in Charlottesville in 2006 and a 48-0 win in Miami last season.

FRESHMEN FRENZY

Eight University of Miami freshmen have scored a touchdown this season, easily the highest total in the country. Idaho is second with five, while Florida State and Michigan rank in a tie for third nationally with four freshmen apiece, while 11 schools rank in a tie for fifth with three freshmen. Travis Benjamin, who is second on the team with four touchdowns this season, leads a pack of UM freshmen that includes Jacory Harris and Aldarius Johnson (2 touchdowns apiece) and five more that have reached paydirt once in Laron Byrd, Davon Johnson, Thearon Collier, Sean Spence and most recently, Robert Marve.

YOUTH IS SERVED

Miami's top five performers in terms of all-purpose yards gained this season are either in their first or second year in the UM program. Freshman Travis Benjamin leads the team with 854 all-purpose yards, while sophomore Graig Cooper sits in second with 652 yards. Freshman Aldarius Johnson, who has a team-high 22 receptions, ranks third with 211 yards while freshman Thearon Collier sits in fourth with 192 yards. Senior Kayne Farquharson - a junior college transfer last year - is fifth on the squad with 182 yards.

Here are some other notes on the young players at UM:
- Freshman have accounted for 1,694 of UM's 3,373 all-purpose yards this season (50.2%).
- Players in their first two years at UM have accounted for 2,693 of UM's 3,373 all-purpose yards this season (80%).
- 22 of UM's 30 touchdowns this season have been scored by either a sophomore or freshman, with Cooper (6) and Benjamin (4) accounting for one-third of the team's TDs thus far.
- UM underclassmen have accounted for 100% of the team's passing yardage (1,437 of 1,437), 80% of its rushing yardage (809 of 1,014), 81% of its points (198 of 244), 84% of its total return yardage (766 of 911) and 65% of its receptions (93 of 142).

[SOUP]

REVOLVING RECEIVERS
-Three Miami players - Freshmen Laron Byrd and Aldarius Johnson and junior Dedrick Epps - have caught a pass in seven of UM's eight contests thus far.

-Johnson leads the team with 22 receptions thus far, while running back Graig Cooper ranks second with 16 despite not recording a catch in the first three games of the season.

-Johnson's eight receptions against Duke was the most receptions in a game for a UM player since Greg Olsen had eight receptions against North Carolina on Oct. 7, 2006.

[SOUP]

It is time, once again, to say:

I TOLD U SO!!!

[SOUP]

Line: Virginia by 2

Quick slant: These are two of the ACC's hottest teams. The Hurricanes have won three straight, including two in the ACC. After a 1-3 start, the Cavaliers are on a four-game winning streak and sit in first place in the Coastal Division. ... Part of Virginia's turnaround is due to improved offensive line play and a healthy Cedrick Peerman at running back. He's run for 541 yards and seven touchdowns, with the bulk coming the past four games. ... The Hurricanes are the league's top scoring offense, averaging 32 points a game. Quarterbacks Robert Marve and Jacory Harris have avoided controversy by leading the team to victories. UM's offense should be at full strength with RB Javarris James healthier.

Shandel Richardson

[SOUP]

Nix is GOD:

In four ACC games, UM has been tough to stop offensively. The Hurricanes lead the ACC in scoring offense with 32.0 points per game. The Hurricanes are 38th nationally in scoring offense (30.5 points per game).

[KLCaneFan]

Good Morning, Spacers! It's GAMEDAY let's get fired UP!!

Game prediction: Canes WIN!

[hurriphin]

JD74-
I didn't start the trend, but I know one thing--since we been doing it, UM aint lost!!

[KLCaneFan]

JD74 - We started doing that after TypePad changed the blog format on us. Once there are over 50 posts you have to scroll down and hit next... so instead of doing that we type in something random (like ex-um alums) to get us to the end. Some of us are more random than others, LOL. :)

[KLCaneFan]

(Mine happen to be in the "more random" category)

[SOUP]

That's it KL! Posting a random Cane name is better than posting >>> or ...

GO CANES, BEAT UVA!!!

[OCALACANE]

Mornin Legion...

Can U Say PAYBACK?
I Love Halloween.
Do A Trick Get A TREAT...

GOT SOME CANES OVERHERE!!!

[hurriphin]

canes lead acc is scoring offense, after all the sh!t we unload on nix?

....irony is a trifeling bytch

[Cat5 Cane]

"I want cat 5 to BRING that shirt to me now. back 2 back." Posted by: canezilla

LOL... Ya got any Brock?... If so, See ya later, Soup.

Well,.... I guess I had that coming, but many times, soup is a softy and bends way-over-board... IMO and I just get upset when it reminds me of my son... Oh Dad, would you get me the keys to the car and while your at it, get me the can of Pepsi in the refrigerator?.... WHAT DID YOU SAY!!!!!! LOL

Sorry for the interruption...
Cat

[canechic]

Hey guys, Happy all saints day!!!

GO CANES BEAT VA!!!!

[canechic]

Okay I watched the Seminole trio play last night! All I have to say is we want RAY RAY Armstrong. He is HUGE, the whole team is huge. I have no idea how they lost 3 games.
Ray Ray looks about 7ft tall compared to the lake brantley players. One play was truly funny, the lake brantley defense was trying to sack him and there was about 3 players at his feet and he stood cool and collected to complete a 10yard pass. The video of that would make top ten on America's funniest videos!! He needs to be a cane, in the game he played QB and safety!!

[hurriphin]

canechic-whats the talent level like in that region of FL? comparable to s.fla.?

[canechic]

Totally different! Apopka and Edgewater are the only schools close to S.Fla talent. Jones may start to shift now that K. Lang is the coach there. But they do not play the same kind of ball up here in Central Florida. Pretty much all triple option. ZZZZZZZZZZ!

[SOUP]

WHOOSH, WHOOSH!!!

[SOUP]

New from Dan Stein at the Miami Hurricane student blog:

http://blogs.themiamihurricane.com/index.php/2008/10/29/virginia-game-preview?blog=24

[hurriphin]

mostly triple option...?
PLEASE!!

[SOUP]

From Dan Stein:

KEY STAT

The Hurricane defense has allowed opponents 22 Red Zone trips. The opponent has scored on all 22 of these trips. This puts them dead last in the NCAA. Sooner or late, Miami will have to get a Red Zone stop or turnover if they want to talk about ACC title games and BCS bowls.

[canechic]

hurriphin it is awful! At lake brantley it could be 3rd and 2 or 3rd and 16 and they still run the ball. Brantley QB is about 5ft 2 so it is much better they run!!!

[SOUP]

CC...U wearing GREEN Canespace today?

[hurriphin]

Stein was dead on about the redzone D. sadly, more often than not, teams are getting 6 instead of 3. our db's have dropped no less that 4 sure picks, in or near the endzone, alone. this stuff HAS to change sooner than later. I'm not trying to call this a "throwaway" season, but if we're going to fix it--fix it now, cause' in 3yrs. or so, we wanna raise that NATIONAL!!

[UMike]

WE GOT SOME CANES OVA HERE.............

[canechic]

Soup, YES I AM!! GO CANES!!!

[SOUP]

RED ZONE RESULTS

The Hurricanes are a near-perfect 29-of-31 in the red zone on offense, converting 20 touchdowns and nine field goals this season. The ‘Canes rank first in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 93.5 percent conversion rate.

[SOUP]

WHOOSH, WHOOSH!!!

[SOUP]

Soup, YES I AM!! GO CANES!!!

Posted by: canechic | November 01, 2008 at 10:27 AM

Then we win! Just in case, U know what happens if the Canes fall behind and need to score right?

[SOUP]

MULTIFACETED MATT

Sophomore punter/kicker Matt Bosher is one of just a handful of players nationally that handles all of his team’s field goals, punts and kickoffs. Despite the difficulty of taking on so many tasks, Bosher has been one of the best specialists in the ACC this season of the season.

He ranks third in the league in overall scoring (8.0 points per game) in addition to ranking third in punting (40.7), second in field goals (1.50 per game) and second in field goal percentage (92.3). He leads the league with 28 extra points and against FSU, he showed even more versatility in converting a crucial fake punt with a nine-yard run on a 4th-and-4 to keep a UM drive alive late in the contest.

Two weeks ago against Duke, he booted a career-long 76 yard punt in the second half, forcing Duke into begin a drive at their own eight-yard line after UM punted from its own 11 and Duke was penalized five yards on an illegal return. This past weekend, he kicked a careerlong 52-yard field goal in UM’s win over Wake Forest.

[canechic]

I will do what it takes! Go Canes!

[bhamcanesfan]

does anyone know of a site that i can watch the game? no coverage here in birmingham.

[macjones de albuquerque]

does anyone know of a site that i can watch the game? no coverage here in birmingham.

Posted by: bhamcanesfan | November 01, 2008 at 10:56 AM

U can scroll up on this page and LINK on to:
justin.tv/the darkside_tv OR

Go to ESPN's scoreboard page and link on to their " espn360.com"

IF all else fails, then U have to trek down to your local sportsbar baby! LOL

Bon Chance