You’re same four goals for the season were my same four goals as well. And while it hurts not to make it to the ACC title game, I do believe based on the things I’m seeing on ESPN, that we are going to back into the playoffs. So that’s three out of four goals We both had that were met this year if that happens. I can’t be mad about that, it was a great season and hopefully we back into the playoffs and see what happens.
I tend to look at betting markets for a lot of things, but of course they can be wrong, and often are. They're basically setting a market for what they think a room full of people will think. It's not easy.
HOWEVER, that being said, we're not even the 2nd likeliest team to make the playoffs out of the bubble teams, nevermind the first.
Alabama is -105 to make the playoff right now at Draftkings
South Carolina is +370
Miami is +800
That's a **** of a disparity. Again, they can be wrong. But we're a very significant dog to get in if you look at the market.
I promised myself that when Mario got the job, I would be patient. One of my friends is a big Michigan fan. They were patient AF with Harbaugh through multiple coordinator changes, bad losses, flirtations with the NFL, and he finally broke through.
I am NOT saying Mario is on Harbaugh's level, so save it.
I just knew this wasn't going to be a quick fix after 20 years of ineptitude (save for 2 solid years of Richt before he slipped).
Mario is a recruiter and we have pretty solid NIL. Just keep stacking talent.
The glass half full view: we lost 2 games by a total of 9 points on the road against two bowl teams. And UGA needed 8 overtimes and help from the refs to beat our "bad" loss.
As for our "close calls," so f***ing what? Since when are teams punished for winning close games against bowl teams? Are Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter punished for needing a Hail Mary to defeat Baylor at home?
The Hail Mary against VTech should've never been ruled a TD in the first place. As for Cal, we traveled 3,000 miles, played a game at 2 a.m. when Rece Davis was about to pass out, and pulled off a great comeback.
If that had been Jawja, the narrative would've been about their grit and determination.
Our "close call" against Duke and Wake Forest were 20-point blowouts in the end. If not, then Bama had a "close call" against USF.
Against Louisville, we had a 14-point lead and they scored with no time left to cut it to 7. We also never trailed after they were up 7-3. That wasn't exactly a brush with death like the media portrayed it.
The media have been building the narrative all year long that we're somehow fraudulent, but when Georgia wins a rock fight against dogs*** Kentucky team that Louisville just eviscerated, well, it just means more in the SEC.
F*** the SEC hype train. It was a mediocre conference this year.
Let's make the playoffs, win a game or two, and keep building momentum.
I'm not really convinced we are better now than 2021. That's a common trope among the fan base but honestly a few fourth downs and a field goal is what kept that team from 10 wins.
Also, in retrospect Al Golden and Art Kehoe may have had better offensive lines.
I know I'm grasping at straws here but what exactly is Mario good for? I mean I guess on paper he's recruiting well. But if most of those players don't play that good then what's the point?
When Mario is fired and the next couch comes in talking about how the cupboard is bare and wins six games his first year; All of you people will be rewriting history to say that Mario couldn't do this or that well and that's why there's nothing here.
Do you know who came into the program and didn't complain? CMR. He got here and you the previous staff did a good job with recruiting. Then again that 2016 defense looked good. He was a BS call in the ND game away from 10 wins.
Mario can't coach offense, he can't coach defense, he can't coach special teams. We all agreed he should play the roll of CEO, but he failed at that. His feel for the game is meat headed. His assistant coach evals failed, player evals failed, player development failed, player management failed, and as you said, recruiting is unknown, so this year it was a fail. Those guys should have gotten game experience this year.
Yes, it's hard to win, but even more so when your head coach has so many strikes against him.
Too many unknowns going into next year, half empty.
I'll withhold results until the HS recruiting and portal window are over. Cam Ward was always a 1 year solution, a proof of concept about what Miami could be... Miami wins, recruits/portal guys follow, and its the start of a multi-year run.
If on Jan 3rd, Miami is positioned to win 10 games and compete for an ACCCG in 2025 and beyond, I will consider the glass half full.
The old Bobby Bowden adage when he was building a program was "First you lose big, then you lose small, then you win small, then you win big". In 2022, we lost big. In 2023, we lost small. In 2024, we won small, sort of. 10 wins overall, but pulled some out by the skin of our *** (Cal, VT). Can we parlay this into winning big in 2025?
This isn’t the 1800s any longer. A HC doesn’t need 4 years to turn a program around with the portal.
Of course we can. Go look at the thread that got bumped recently from the end of last year, talking about the 2024 record. It was post after post of "6-6" or "7-5" or "9-3 if we get really lucky". Pages of it.
We don't know what this roster will look like next year. Until I do, I can't say what the record will be, or at least give my guess. But you certainly can't say definitively the team will be worse. Let's see who's here in July.
The old Bobby Bowden adage when he was building a program was "First you lose big, then you lose small, then you win small, then you win big". In 2022, we lost big. In 2023, we lost small. In 2024, we won small, sort of. 10 wins overall, but pulled some out by the skin of our *** (Cal, VT). Can we parlay this into winning big in 2025?
This isn’t the 1800s any longer. A HC doesn’t need 4 years to turn a program around with the portal.
OP touched a bit on it but one thing that makes all of this sting so bad and brings back memories of the same ole Canes even though we finished 10-2. It’s that we yet again stumbled into the postseason. If we were 10-2 and lost those games earlier the vibe would be different. Unfortunately we lost 2 of the last 3 and that just hits different.
I'll withhold results until the HS recruiting and portal window are over. Cam Ward was always a 1 year solution, a proof of concept about what Miami could be... Miami wins, recruits/portal guys follow, and it’s the start of a multi-year run.
If on Jan 3rd, Miami is positioned to win 10 games and compete for an ACCCG in 2025 and beyond, I will consider the glass half full.
The old Bobby Bowden adage when he was building a program was "First you lose big, then you lose small, then you win small, then you win big". In 2022, we lost big. In 2023, we lost small. In 2024, we won small, sort of. 10 wins overall, but pulled some out by the skin of our *** (Cal, VT). Can we parlay this into winning big in 2025?
This isn’t the 1800s any longer. A HC doesn’t need 4 years to turn a program around with the portal.
Fair, but it didn't really take 4, it took 3, in a lot of ways. We went from Manny Diaz standing alone on a football field after a loss to #4 in the country in 3 years. But we didn't win the ACC, hence the entire thread. I can make the argument the program is turned around. I can also make the argument it isn't. This is why I created the thread, I'm pretty conflicted right now and wanted opinions. Unfortunately, this is the only forum I have, so while i get to read stuff from folks like you and others here that make good points and have more than 3 functional brain cells, we still have to deal with ****heads like that canescanes guy who just got band. Comes with the territory.
OP touched a bit on it but one thing that makes all of this sting so bad and brings back memories of the same ole Canes even though we finished 10-2. It’s that we yet again stumbled into the postseason. If we were 10-2 and lost those games earlier the vibe would be different. Unfortunately we lost 2 of the last 3 and that just hits different.
Right like going 10-2 and losing to a couple of very solid programs in GT and Cuse isn’t necessarily “sky is falling” stuff
But the context of the losses is what makes it more brutal
How can we be confident as fans that the team steps up when it matters if we just keep showing we can’t? And what? Fans want us to backpedal into the playoffs? It will just be the same result
Fair, but it didn't really take 4, it took 3, in a lot of ways. We went from Manny Diaz standing alone on a football field after a loss to #4 in the country in 3 years. But we didn't win the ACC, hence the entire thread. I can make the argument the program is turned around. I can also make the argument it isn't. This is why I created the thread, I'm pretty conflicted right now and wanted opinions. Unfortunately, this is the only forum I have, so while i get to read stuff from folks like you and others here that make good points and have more than 3 functional brain cells, we still have to deal with ****heads like that canescanes guy who just got band. Comes with the territory.
If our '24 recruiting class hits, then our DL could be excellent: Bain, Moten, Scott, Horton, Lightfoot, Pickett, Jones, Blount, Rudolph, plus potential Portal help.
I think a more experienced Popo is an upgrade over Kiko. Wes will be a senior. Liked what I saw from Cam Pruitt.
Secondary is the biggest question mark. OJ had a great freshman year, Cuse game notwithstanding. Damari Brown should be healthy. Hopefully Zaquan makes a leap. Coaches really like Dylan Day. There's also Portal.
We could be subpar again, or we could be really good. Just have to see how it plays.
Offensively, we're going to take a step back, but if we get a good Portal QB, I still think we'll be dangerous. We have a brick wall OL, good backs, good TEs, Horton coming back, and some talented youngsters.
We'll see. It's not out of the realm of possibility that we're a better overall team next year.
Oh yeah, a first time head coach has the Fighting Lashlee's in the ACC title game, which they will probably win, using our scrub players. Only at Miami do fans consider the glass half full, lol.
