The Short List To South Beach: Week 5

The first month of the college football season draws to a close and only 48 teams remain in ontention on the Shortlist to South Beach for 2012.  By conference affiliation they read as follows:

LSU, Alabama, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Purdue, Nebraska, Michigan State, Northwestern, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, TCU, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Iowa State, Florida State, Clemson, NC State, Maryland, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Miami, Duke, Southern Cal, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Stanford, Oregon State, Washington, Louisville, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Ohio, Louisiana Tech and UTSA.

A pair of teams won games in two entirely different fashions last week that I called for them to lose and find themselves eliminated because of;

1) Miami plays with fire once again but finds a way to escape with their Shortlist lives intact, for another week at least, with a 42-36 overtime win in Atlanta against the Yellow Jackets.  Now let's see, where did I leave that crow recipe the webmaster of this place gave me last year?  In all seriousness it was great to see Steven Morris get better as the game got to crunch time and I personally hope he uses this effort as a springboard to play with that same level of focus for a full sixty minutes this week as well.

2) Louisiana Tech goes to Urbana-Champaign and douses the Illini of Illinois by a score of 52-24.  I consider this conclusive proof that you can take the Zooker out of the coach's office but you can't take the Zooker out of the program just by firing him.  Sonny Dykes' Bulldogs notch win number six in 36 tries against BCS automatic qualifier schools and go for number seven this week against Virginia.

A total of five teams lost games last week and find themselves eliminated from the Shortlist to South Beach thanks to the final scores:

1) Illinois gets absolutely hammered by Louisiana Tech in what is quickly turning into a season to forget for the Big 10 conference that can't count to 12.  Good luck getting that bowl streak extended now Illinois as a perfect home record will be needed barring any road upsets that likely only have the season finale at Northwestern as even a possibility the rest of the way.

2) Iowa finds a way to lose in Iowa City to Central Michigan 32-31.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your three time Big 10 coach of the year, Kirk Ferentz!  How he's managed to follow the legend that was Hayden Fry for this long going on average about 7-5 for these last 14 years, I have no idea.

3) Georgia Tech gets the worst possible start a triple option team can hope for, finds a way to storm back and then gives up a two touchdown lead in the final fifteen minutes to tank their season before September even gets to its last week.  For a team now playing with it's coach's recruits only, the trend for this program is as unsettling as their defensive passing completion percentage numbers are.

4) That thudding sound you heard last week was the falling over dead of the laughable concept of a Florida 'Big Four' of football programs as USF comes home from Muncie, Indiana as 31-27 losers to Ball State.  Next up for the Bulls, a fight with the Seminoles of Florida State, who just happen to be looking for their first win in the series against South Florida.  This time, there's no Jim Leavitt to save them either so enjoy the sub .500 record to start October, cattle.

5)  What would the last Shortlist in September be without the Connecticut Huskies doing their part to make me look bad as they fall in Kalamazoo to Western Michigan 30-24?  At least they held NC State to only 10 points at home during their other loss on the season two weeks ago but how do you get torched for three touchdowns and field goals each by a directional Michigan school ever?

I expect eight teams this week to fall from Shortlist contention as October arrives, one of which is not like the other:

Mississippi, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Arizona, Washington and UTSA.

If you guessed, "They're coached by a national championship winning coach," you're right! 

"Non-BCS auto qualifier," would also be acceptable I guess too.  No, again, I didn't forget to count correctly, as once more, I saved the most important pick for last when the Wolfpack visit the Hurricanes in what amounts to another Shortlist elimination game on Saturday. While shutting down a one-dimensional offense last week was inspiring in UM's comeback win, their inability to prevent a shockingly high completion percentage with their suspect defensive scheme against diversified offenses leads me to believe they'll fall just short this week against pro prospect quarterback Mike Glennon in what should be an entertaining, but ultimately disappointing home loss and Miami is my final elimination prediction this week.  Hey, at least this year they're the last Miami, Hurricane, or UM to fall off the Shortlist, so that's a welcome change as far as I'm concerned.

Enjoy the games this week and join me back here next week as hopefully I'll be sitting down for another heaping serving of crow, not Gray again of course, at the hands of the Hurricanes and we pull closer to the magic number of 25 teams remaining here on the Shortlist to South Beach!

Copyright 2012 by Christopher Whelpton for Canespace.com

Comments

[Tsully76]

Amen Willie Will.

[Jiggafras]

First of all people need to look at how many people in miami and surrounding areas are actually from the area. There are huge populations of Hispanics who care not one flying fish about Football muchless Miami but they care about Futbol, also alot of island people, Haitians, jamaicans etc. I went to a bar in west palm beach last year, and there was actually not one of the TVs that had the Miami game but they were showing Michigan games. If you count what proportion of the fans in Miami and around actually have a connection to Miami, its quite small. It is not a public institution and if u didnt go there or have family or friends who do, what else give you a rooting interest other than you live in the city? I do feel Miami needs to do alot more community outreach, and be more visible especially in PBC and Broward county. My take, but it is still what it is

[The Dude]

Attendence in Manhatten, KS is a culture of college football because it is actually the only sense of pride they have. Los Angeles doesn't sell out USC games every weekend. It doesn't stop them from winning big. Truthfully Sunlife is too big for the Canes. 50k seats is about it even when things are good. Even FSU doesn't sell out unless they are good. No one who accounts for their entertainment dollars wants to pay to see a crappy show. That is true in every stadium. Entertainment dollars in Miami demand results. See the Heat?

[The Dude]

The attendence arguement is dumb. Even the Knicks and Mets have bad attendence when they stink.

[Panamacitycane]

I live in Tallahassee and will say the stadium is literally on campus and there is nothing I mean nothing to do other then games so thats why they get fans. But how does teams like USC sale so many tickets and they are in Los Angeles? Is there nothing to do there? That's what I thought. For people that live within driving distance and have the money should make it to atleast a couple games. Hell im from panama city which is two hours from tally and have a lot of friends at least 25 plus their family that I kmow of who travel 2 hours for every fsu home game. Either way BEAT NCSTATE LETS GO CANES!!!

[UMike]

I for one think the attendance is silly to talk about..it is what it is and will never change. It is no secret Miami is king of the bandwagon fans....and miamicane..in this small town I live the high school stadium is packed for every home game and they suck, but it is all this community has.

[UMike]

allCanesBlog.com ‏@allCanesBlog
Unless I'm wrong, #Miami hasn't beaten the team they play after #GT since upending #FSU in 2007 #fb

[UMike]

Billy Furman ‏@BillyFurmanTheU
If your not there at high noon don't show up for prime time in 3 weeks

[UMike]

Papa Cane ‏@ByPapaCane
This Hurricane champion has 2 extra tickets. Any takers? @GaryKapit I have two extra tickets if you know any Canes in need!

[UMike]

Papa Cane ‏@ByPapaCane
Recruiting Update: 2013 4-Star DL Jaynard Bostwick continues to be heavily recruited at a national level. 80%+ he ends up a Cane.

[Panamacitycane]

It just doesnt have the college feel to it..the fun in seeing other teams is the stadium and the vibe they give off..and if you are not going because they arent winning then you are not a fan and this is why the city of miami is horrible for sports..I love the hurricanes and the dolphins been a fan since I knew who they were. But im not a fan of the city just the teams. It pisses me off to know that because you live there you rep the canes but dont actually support them unless it makes you look cool..miami is full of douchebags and tools

[UMike]

Jorge Milian ‏@caneswatch
Just watched UM signee Alex Collins of South Plantation take the opening snap of 2nd half for 80-yard touchdown. This kid is for real.

[UMike]

The only thing I can say about the REAL Miami fan base is they are REAL. We may not have the numbers, but we have the loyalty and family. For the few real fans, the love runs deep. Being a Cane is special and only true Cane fans understand that, its not like two Gator fans saying whats up to each other and passing by, when you see a fellow throw up that U you see family, you see someone who understands its a Cane thing. So while we might not have numbers, I do like what we do have.

[UMike]

CAN_D_MAN ‏@CAN_D_MAN
@ByPapaCane I have 5 Papa if any one needs.
Retweeted by Papa Cane

[Tsully76]

Agreed UMike

[CaneRock]

“I am hopeful there will be noticeable improvement,” said UM associate athletic director for marketing and communications Chris Freet, who said he hopes for a crowd of 45,000 on Saturday. “It’s a totally different dynamic coming off a loss to Kansas State and facing a I-AA [Football Championship Subdivision] opponent as opposed to coming off a marquee win for Al Golden’s tenure and facing an ACC opponent.

“A lot of the marketing in this town for sports fans — right, wrong or indifferent — is based on the buzz around the team. And the buzz around the Hurricanes is very good now.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/28/3025347/miami-hurricanes-brace-for-big.html#storylink=cpy

[WWIN]

I hope people understand that we are NOT going to keep getting away wit poor attendance just because we did in the past. Times are changing and kids are different now. Kids will start going to schools that are selling out.

[SOUP]

Also lol with the noon games but the Dolphins had 60 thousand paid and they haven't played for the Championship since Madonna,Prince, and Michael Jackson were on top of the Music Industry the 1984-85 season.

Posted by: Tsully76 | September 28, 2012 at 08:22 PM

Who is Madonna?

[SOUP]

OK, Canespace LIVE here at The Hampton Inn in Plantation, FL.

Left the 863 late, hit some SERIOUS rain on the way down and stopped at Bokampers Bar and Grill on the way to The Hampton.

Early morning start tomorrow but...

We ready, WE READY!!!

[SJMPARMAN]

As someone who went to school for a year not far from the University of Iowa and who still has family living in that area, I can tell you that it is not about National Championships. It is about the atmosphere of being at a college football game. Iowa does not have regular events where you can go and be a part of a crowd of 70,000 people other than a football game.

Going to a Hawkeye game for them is a little about pride in the state. But it is not a big deal for them. They don't blog for weeks about losing to another big ten team. Iowa people are well grounded, decent human beings who don't make football the bane of their existence. They aspire to occasionally be in the hunt for the big ten. But even if the Hawkeyes go 0-12, they will always be proud of their state and they have good reason to be. It is a very nice place to live.

There is no pro football in Iowa. The closest pro teams are over 6 hours away in either St Louis, Minnesota, or Chicago. They don't have pro baseball or basketball. They tend to be Cubs and Bears fans because that is their TV market in eastern Iowa. So going to a college football game is a huge deal for them.

I guarantee you that they don't pay 30.00 to park the car, 4.00 for a cold hot dog, or 8.00 for a beer either. And a good number of their fans never attended the school either. They go to the games because it is a social event and not because they expect the team to win a national championship every year. In some ways, I wish our fans were more like them.

The Hurricane games are not family priced. A deal is not 3 for 93. I have a family of 5. If I still lived in the area, that would be 155.00 for tickets, 30.00 to park, probably 20.00 in sodas, 24.00 in beer, and probably 30.00 in Hot Dogs or other food. That is 259.00 a game not counting the cost to get there in gas and tolls along the way.

In the old days, I used to but the Whopper to get my ticket, park and ride to the OB for 8.00, and I still had 20.00 for food and drink. Even after it was popular to go to Miami games, you could buy an end zone seat for 14.00 and after halftime move anywhere in the stadium and watch the game. You could always show up and buy a cheap ticket off guys selling outside the stadium after kickoff began, well below market price. Heck, once when I was looking for a ticket outside, some big time booster came up to me and gave me a 50 yard line ticket right behind the bench.

It was just affordable back then. Most Canes fans, and Dolphins fans for that matter, were working class men and women. You didn't have to make a big paycheck to support the team. It has changed these days. I admire you guys who drive from far away, and stay at a hotel and support the team. Thank God you have the money to do so. But most South Floridians don't make that much money. It is a struggle to live pay check to pay check and spending big bucks on college football is not their reality.

The attendance is not because there isn't love for the U. Fans still pay attention to the games but they just can't afford to attend.

[Tonycane]

Dumb question....but is the hurry up a new feature this year to the canes offense?

[WWIN]

S/o 2 my boy @killaXkirb . 1st game back!!!! -- Tyriq McCord (@AutobotMcCord1)

[WWIN]

So I guess that means Kirby is playing tomorrow

[WWIN]

Tony,

Yes, but its not your normal hurry up IMO. They line up quick and if they catch you off sides or trying to run somebody off the field then they'll run a play, if not they see what the defense is in then everybody looks to the sideline for the play call and run the play like normal. So really they are just trying to keep the defense from substituting, they are still snapping the ball with less than 10sec on the play clock

[CoCane]

SJM,

U know what you're talking about. South florida costs too much to live & pays too little for most to go to the games. When the U has a sell out dam near everyone thats a cane fan that can afford it is there. TRUST ME. I've lived here 28 out of 32 years of my life, know hundreds of cane fans & only maybe a dozen can afford to go. & I aint 1 of them. My neighbors had this attendance discussion tuesday night. All of us cane fans & we all agreed we would go to the games if sh*t was cheaper or we had more $. Bottom line, if you don't live here, don't say sh*t because you have no idea how f*cked the struggle is. It's insulting to the die hards that would go but can't. I've only been able to take my 14 year old son to 1 game & he's as big a fan as me my dad & the rest of my fam. If we could go we all would. So fukk you inconsiderate, judgemental, ignorant, over privelaged bitches! You just don't know. If you have the means, go, enjoy, shut da fukk up & be thankful that you can instead critisizing a situation you don't understand or can't even fukkin relate to. ATTEND THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hurri]

Tony, Yes, but its not your normal hurry up IMO. They line up quick and if they catch you off sides or trying to run somebody off the field then they'll run a play...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

According to the GT officials & commentators, 12 men on the field is "Okay" as long as they're...getting...off the field...? Even though they're still...ooooooon it...

Which is the essence of violation.

Soooooo is speeding okay, as long as I slow down while I'm being pulled over?

Whatever...34-24 The U

[Panamacitycane]

And hurri dont forget one guy asked well he is offsides and on the field and the other guy said it doesnt matter...WTF? Ive never heard of this every game ive seen that they get called..he said its ok because he wouldnt interfere with the play? Once again every time ive seen it, it is called a penalty..media hates us..other teams hate us..other fans hate us...US AGAINST THE WORLD!

[CaneRock]

So fukk you inconsiderate, judgemental, ignorant, over privelaged bitches! You just don't know. If you have the means, go, enjoy, shut da fukk up & be thankful that you can instead critisizing a situation you don't understand or can't even fukkin relate to. ATTEND THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: CoCane | September 29, 2012 at 01:17 AM

Yes Sir!
And what most folks don't understand, should, is that Miami is a hospitality and customer service oriented town. So guess who the #1 employers are...that's right, you guessed it, hospitality and customer service.
And guess where the people who should be your fan-base are on Saturdays...that's right, you guessed it,
their serving your food,
they're cooking your food,
they're cleaning your hotel rooms,
they're directing traffic outside the stadium,
they're stripping,
they're mixing drinks,
etcetera,etcetera.

[SJMPARMAN]

"Bottom line, if you don't live here, don't say sh*t because you have no idea how f*cked the struggle is. It's insulting to the die hards that would go but can't."

I was born in Miami and lived in South Florida for 43 years of my life. Believe me, I was struggling as hard as you ever have to make ends meet down there. I was actually a well paid guy down there, but I couldn't afford to attend the games at the costs they are charging to do so.

Yes, if there is a big game, people will shell out the big bucks to attend. That is because we love the team and the program. We will find a way to attend regardless of the sacrifice. But that happens only one or maybe two times a year.

Canes fans don't buy season ticket packages because of the other costs associated with attending. The market is therefore limited to the big games. When Miami loses an early game or two, and is out of the national championship possibility, attendance lags.

I lived there for 43 years. I struggled to pay a mortgage there, and to feed a kid there on the salary I made. I dropped UM attendance once my first kid was born. I just couldn't justify it anymore. Buying formula and diapers is more important than spending 100.00 for just me to attend a game.

UM has to get a grip on the total cost equation for fans and to get back to making game attendance afforable for the middle class. That was the point of my post.
I love South Florida, and the Miami area. But you will never have a home field advantage there if you don't have a game plan that includes the average citizens and not just former graduates of the UM. There ain't enough former graduates who remain in the area after they do so, and the historical legacy of the program is that this team belongs to the fans. I guess I just didn't say it well.

[CaneRock]

and the historical legacy of the program is that this team belongs to the fans.

Posted by: SJMPARMAN | September 29, 2012 at 02:11 AM

Yup.

[SJMPARMAN]

That kid who was born 11 years ago is going to wake up in 8 hours or so I gotta run but thank you and Cocane for the discussion because I think it is a real issue. If two more kids didn't follow, and I felt comfortable faking them out that tomorrow didn't exist, I would continue on here. But I just think UM is wrong for advertising this as an issue when they dont make games affordable for the fans.

[UMike]

Games are getting pricy...I mean $4 for a normal size bottle water, and when it is that hot you spend $20 just one water, not including gas, tolls, parking, tickets and food...and that covers 1 person lol