18 years ago, the Miami Hurricanes fielded the greatest football team ever. They won a championship, then nearly repeated the following season. Even in the disappointment of the 2002 National Title game, it seemed the second part of the Miami dynasty was born. It wasn’t. Under Larry Coker, the Canes slowly drifted further and further from the spotlight until disappointment became the new normal. Miami has arguably had one good, “U”-like season since Coker’s firing, Mark Richt’s 2017 campaign. Every other year has been a mix of season-long garbage or promise that fizzles into nothing.
And yet, for a team that is one of college football’s name brands, a recognizable logo and a legendary history that came from nowhere, even mediocrity couldn’t shake The U like it has other once-great programs.