Paul Finebaum ( Mr. SEC ) had some peculiar comments about the Miami Hurricanes recently. Check out some of what he said below.
.@finebaum thinks the state of Miami’s football program is worse than some people think. #CFBLIVEhttps://t.co/Je1LySf7bl
— ESPN CollegeFootball (@ESPNCFB) October 26, 2015
From this FoxSports article He goes on to call Miami a “terrible job” and say “I don’t know why any coach in their right mind would want this job.” Oh but he was just getting started. Finebaum also said in this 247.com piece “Unless they get the right person for Miami … you might as well shut it down. Miami is mainly in the past right now in the world of college football.”
Me thinks Mr. Finebaum doth protest too much about Miami.
Look the Hurricanes are more than decade removed from their last 10+ win season. The glory days of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s are a distant memory. I don’t know if Miami can reach that level again, but for Finebaum to attack the Hurricanes program in such a way tells me he either really hates Miami or has a fear of what they could become.
The Hurricanes have issues. The stadium is over 20 miles from campus. The fanbase is finicky and the Hurricanes struggle to get fans to their home games. The facilities have fallen behind the better the programs in the country, but the Miami-Dade County area is still one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country. Miami despite all their struggles is still getting players to the NFL. They had 7 players drafted in the most recent NFL draft. That was one of the highest totals in the country.
Miami has tradition and identity even if it’s best days are some years ago. All you have to do is look at some recent ACC teams, tell me why Miami can achieve the same level of success. Duke is on it’s way to it’s third straight 9+ win season. Georgia Tech just finished off an 11 win season with an Orange Bowl in 2014. They beat Florida State this past Saturday, something Miami hasn’t done since 2009.
You are telling me hat Miami can’t be a perennial top 25 team again, with the occasional top 10 season? Seriously? Miami finds the right coach, and they can turn things around as quickly Pittsburgh under their first year coach Pat Narduzzi.
I think Finebaum knows that the right coach can make Miami a winner very quickly, and that’s not good for SEC business for the ACC to have another strong football program in the region they share. Clemson and Florida State are already proving problematic enough. Ok Chip Kelly isn’t going to Miami, but a quality coach can be found. Miami is still a step up in program for coaches at the non-power 5 level.
If Miami decided to make a major financial investment in their football problem, and find a better stadium, it is not out of the question that they could become a power once again. Even if they don’t though, just making the right coaching hire would make the Hurricanes a force again if not quite yet a top 10 program. You win with players, and the state of Florida has lots of them.
I don’t know what Finebaum has against Miami, but the Hurricanes do have a high ceiling and maybe that’s what Finebaum is afraid of.
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