What Happened to Miami Hurricanes Football?

Hurricane Andrew destroyed everything around Miami and Coral Gables in 1992. When Andrew blew down UM football's home their powerhouse standing in college football went with it. Changes in coaching, players, and style went into a tragic spiral back in 1993 with the University having a reputation for being one of the biggest party schools in America and the football team had to deal with pressure for the players to be more students and less players the Hurricanes lost their edge.

I have been a loyal but not always diligent fane of the Canes since watching them win the Orange Bowl in 1992 and had the great opportunity to see and know some of the team first hand sitting next to them in classes during 1992 and 1993 and I think that the decline of Miami football came as the team lost its creative leeway and tried to make the players fit into the academic university instead of just letting them be themselves.

The football program was its own celebrity universe at Miami in the early 1990's when they were winning and that was not all bad. It was good for the team, good for the school and they may not have been doing things in the traditional way but they were succeeding both on the field and in the classroom. The football players worked hard on the field in the fall and twice as hard in the classroom in the spring.

Over the years the team has been overall unremarkable but I keep watching games in between the rest of my life and there is an amazing consistency in the strength and ego of this team.

How will the Miami Hurricanes fair in this year's college bowl season? Just like every other season. If they use their ego they will be magic and if they let it use them they will flounder. Their ego is both there charm and their poison.

The most consistent thing about the Canes from 1990 until now is that they always have talented, powerful players. (Not always the best in college but always great athletes). It isn't their game that wins or loses it's their psychology.

When Miami has coaches that understand their psychology and a sports program that supports it they are unstoppable. If the coaches focus entirely on specs, stats and strategy their mascot Sebastian the Ibis and the UM Marching Band are the best part of their performances. Traditionally their down games don't even give you a chance to root for the opposing team because the Hurricanes don't fight, they don't struggle they just loose.

So what will the Hurricanes bring to 2009 college football? Well, I'll write my official prediction very soon but I'll tell you that the first 10 minutes of any Miami Hurricanes game will tell you what to expect. Watch their mannerisms and their ego when they take the field and you will have a good hunch on how the game is going to pan out.