If you can remember back that far, Saturday morning was still great to be a Miami Hurricane. It was still 8-1 great. It was possibly Florida-in-the-Orange Bowl great. It was even righteous-indignation great for clamoring about being shut out of any chance for the conference championship.
It was gone so quickly — so embarrassingly quickly — that an hour into Saturday’s 62-26 loss to North Carolina you had to wonder if they’d blow the all-clear whenever it’s safe to come out again. Because it still wasn’t safe when Miami coach Diaz was asked to make an opening statement to the media afterward.