Back in 2007, just one year after we first started Canespace, there was a poll conducted prior to Randy Shannon's first year as head coach that asked: "How many games will Miami win this season?"
A few bold (some would say crazy) and very confident fans, twelve percent of the voters to be exact, decided that the Hurricanes would go undefeated that year and win all 12 games on the schedule.
This select group became known forevermore as the 12%ers or the 12% Club here at Canespace.
While the 12% Club had some very prominent members here at Canespace they were led by their duly elected President RayChanCanesFan (RCCF). RCCF was joined by a few select others like Esteban, Calvin and Cavaleer.
If you ever had a chance to meet any members of the 12% Club they would look you straight in the eye and tell you that it was highly likely that Miami would never lose another game once Randy Shannon was in charge in Coral Gables.
Esteban once predicted in 2007 that when Miami played Oklahoma in Norman "The Hurricanes will pick up a few more recruits once we roll 60 on the Sooners!" Miami finished the season with a 5-7 record and lost to Oklahoma by the score 51 to 13.
Calvin would post 800 word essays on the "facts" of the matter and once posted a comment on the blog that said: "I can see Coach Shannon and Mike Barrow running out of the smoke just like the old days. And Shannon has his dream job now so it is OVER for college football."
Cavaleer was so absolutely certain that Shannon would win back-to-back National Championships that he later changed his blog name to Captain Optimist. The Captain could go on for days and days while waxing eloquent about how other teams were merely playing checkers while "The Boss Man" was playing the much more complex game of chess.
Ahhhhhhh yes, those were the days.
Unfortunately, in the four seasons that transpired since 2007, Miami and Coach Shannon got rooked.
The Boss Man and the Hurricanes lost too many games to count, Shannon got fired with a year left on his contract, many bloggers have moved on and now most Canespacers and other Hurricane fans have toned down their bold predictions and lofty expectations.
Now the overwhelming majority of Miami fans known as the "realists" like Solarcane make predictions of 9-3 seasons.
These so called "realistic" expectations are much more commonly heard around the blog these days than the occasional spirited "optimist" like 12% club President RCCF who still chimes in every single year at a resounding 12-0.
Some Hurricane fans like Canechic and CanesGirlNC who feel badly burned and even scorned by the UM football team will not even venture to make a prediction at all and fall smack dab in the middle of the ever growing "show me" category of UM fans.
But hold on a minute! Apparently the new guy in town is not willing to stand for any such nonsense or pessimism or lowering of expectations by Miami fans.
New UM head coach Al Golden wants all of you Hurricane fans out there to joyously embrace the 12% notion and to proudly join RCCF and a few others in the 12% Club.
Yes, we are here to tell you that new Hurricanes head coach Al Golden is without a doubt a proud, card carrying member of the 12% Club!
According to a recent interview with Jorge Milian of the Palm Beach Post Golden as much as said so. If U don't believe me here is a direct quote from that article:
Milian wrote, "Golden has spent part of the past month visiting UM alums and fans throughout the state and nation. His message?"
Golden responded by saying: “The bar has been set and that bar is not going to move at the University of Miami. The thing I’ve said is, Don’t move the bar. Let us chase it, but don’t bring the bar down. Keep it where it is.”
OK, coach whatever you say! For the record then, and as you requested, here is what we all expect now that the bar has been set very high and you sincerely pleaded with us not to move it:
1. A 10-2 season, a top 10 ranking and a victory in a major bowl game in 2011.
2. A 11-1 season, a top 5 ranking, an ACC title and BCS Bowl Game in 2012.
3. An undefeated season and a National Championship in 2013.
4. Oh, and just for old times sakes, we'll take another BCS title in 2015 before you leave for the NFL.
5. We expect a Heisman, Maxwell, Camp, Walker, O'Brien, Biletnikoff, Butkus, Bednarik, Nagurski, Outland, Hendricks or Thorpe finalist and/or award winner every season.
6. We expect to have a UM player, no make that several players, drafted in the first round every year.
7. We want sellouts and a packed, rocking Sun Life Stadium this year and every year from here on.
8. We'll also take some really cold beer and some really hot cheerleaders on the sidelines.
OK, forget numbers 7 and 8, we can handle those for you, but numbers 1-6 are all on you coach.
Welcome Coach Golden to the 12% Club, where membership has privileges!
And potentially some serious consequences too...