Around CFB: Unbeaten Miami still searching for national respect

Hurricanes are usually taken seriously in Miami.

But for some reason, this year’s Miami Hurricanes do not seem to be. At least, not nationally.

The No. 9 Miami Hurricanes (7-0) are one of just five unbeaten teams in the country. Yet, even though they’re the home team, they’ve been installed as a 2.5-point underdog in this week’s ACC Coastal Division showdown with Virginia Tech (7-1).

Not that there isn’t reason for apprehension. Miami’s record may be unblemished, but its performance certainly isn't. The Hurricanes’ best win is a 31-6 thumping of Duke (4-5). Since then, Miami has eked out close wins over Florida State (2-5), Georgia Tech (4-3), Syracuse (4-4) and North Carolina (1-8).

“The good news is we’re finding a way to win,” second-year coach Mark Richt said on his weekly radio show. “I know that sounds boring, but that’s the type of team we’ve got right now. We’ve got a team that’s unified, we’ve got a team that’s battling their tail off and we’re finding ways to win.’’

Maybe too many people still remember when Miami was the dominant team in college football. That was a long time ago.

With a roster that included 38 players that would be selected in the NFL draft, Miami won the 2000 national championship, 37-14, over Nebraska.

The next year, the Hurricanes almost won another crown but lost in double-overtime to Ohio State.

Four years later, coach Larry Coker was fired after a 7-6 finish and replaced by Randy Shannon. Shannon was fired after four mediocre seasons and was replaced by Al Golden. Golden lasted 4 1/2 mediocre seasons.

That led to the hiring of Richt, who’d been fired after a 15 successful-but-not-outstanding years at Georgia. Miami finished 9-4 last season. Now, Richt has them vying to be unbeaten after eight games for the first time since 2002.

Quarterback Malik Rosier has thrown for 2071 yards and 17 touchdowns for an offense that is ranked 24th in the nation. The defense is allowing just 18.7 points per game.

Still, doubts persist. Those doubts may be eased if the Hurricanes defeat Virginia Tech. The 13th-ranked Hokies have only lost 31-17 to Clemson.

The winner likely will finish first in the Coastal Division, play for the ACC championship and maybe have an outside shot to get into the College Football Playoff.

That’s a far cry from where Miami once was. But the Hurricanes are certainly making progress toward returning to prominence.

“Let’s think about where we’re at,’’ Richt said. “We've got a shot at playing a game that’s probably the most meaningful game this deep into the season in a long, long time. We need to seize the moment, as a team, but as a fan base and everybody else.

“I mean, does it matter how we got here? We got here. We’re here."

Heisman leaders

Here are the weekly Heisman ratings based on how I’d vote if the ballot was due this week:

1. Bryce Love, Stanford, RB: Love’s stock actually rose despite his not playing. Admittedly, that’s not how the race is supposed to unfold. However, these are different circumstances. Love still leads the nation with 1,387 rushing yards despite sitting out last week’s game against Oregon State. Without Love, the Cardinal (6-2) rushed for just 81 yards and escaped Corvallis with a 15-14 victory over the lowly Beavers (1-7).

2. Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma, QB: He passed for 281 yards and threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another in a 49-27 victory over Texas Tech. He’s completing 72.5 percent of his passes. He’s thrown 23 touchdown passes and only three interceptions.

3. Saquon Barkley, Penn State, RB: Barkley had a couple of Heisman moments in a 39-38 loss to Ohio State. He returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and also had a 36-yard touchdown run. However, he only rushed for 44 yards on 21 carries.

4. Josh Adams, Notre Dame, RB: Another performance like he had in last week’s 35-10 win over North Carolina State could vault Adams into the lead. He rushed for 202 yards and scored on a 77-yard run. Adams has rushed for 670 yards and has averaged exactly 10 yards per carry in the last four games.

5. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin, RB: He had subpar production with 73 rushing yards in last week’s 24-10 win over Illinois. However, he only had 12 carries.The performance was pedestrian, but not bad enough to drop him off the list.

Predicted College Football Playoff participants

1. Alabama: The Tide did not win last week. But only because it did not play.

2. Georgia: A strong case could be made that Georgia should be No. 1. That road win over Notre Dame gets better every week.

3. Notre Dame: The Irish’s only loss was by one point to Georgia. Since then, they’ve posted six wins by at least 21 points each.

4. Ohio State: Oklahoma has a gripe here because the Sooners beat Ohio State. But that loss to Iowa State and Ohio State’s victory over Penn State suggest the Buckeyes are better now.

Week Nine notes

• Iowa State is the most surprising team in the country with wins over Oklahoma and TCU, but the Big 12 probably isn’t truly happy about it. It’s like the Big 12 went on a blind date with a leper. Sure, the Cyclones give the conference another team in the top 15, but they may also torpedo the league’s hope for getting a team in the playoffs.

• Oregon State is a classic example of a struggling team finding ways to lose. The Beavers were on the brink of upsetting Stanford. They had a 14-9 lead, the ball and first down with about four minutes to go. Then, they fumbled and gave up a touchdown. It reminded me of Courtney Lewis’ pivotal fourth quarter fumble in a 2004 loss to Baylor.

• Florida State lost 35-3 to Boston College. Florida lost 42-7 to Georgia. The Seminoles and Gators are a combined 7-9. They play Nov. 25. However, the real in-state showdown is the day before when South Florida plays Central Florida. Those teams are a combined 14-1.

• By the way, either of those coaches — UCF’s Scott Frost or South Florida’s Charlie Strong — could be Florida’s replacement for Jim McElwain. Strong was defensive coordinator for two of Florida’s national championship teams. But Florida should make a run at Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen.

• Sometimes, I just can’t understand collegiate play-calling. Take TCU for example. Frog running backs Darius Anderson and Kyle Hicks averaged 7.9 and 6.7 yards per carry against Iowa State, respectively. But on two possessions inside the Iowa State 10-yard line, the Frogs opted to pass. One threat ended with an interception. The other ended with Kenny Hill sacked and losing a fumble.

• Wisconsin’s 8-0 record is indeed impressive. There might not be a softer schedule, though. The Badgers have beaten just one winning team — (5-3) Florida Atlantic. FAU also lost to (3-6) Buffalo and was blown out by Navy.

• I haven’t yet seen the under/over on Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, but take the over. Oklahoma State averages 44.5 points to rank fourth in the nation in scoring. OU is sixth at 42.9. Also, neither defense is that good, especially against the pass. Oklahoma State is ranked 79th in pass defense. OU is ranked 88th.