Besides Hurricanes fans, you know who else is thrilled about the University of Miami football program's revival?

Executives at corporate partners ABC and ESPN.

``A good Miami team is good for college football -- they've always put up good ratings,'' said Dave Brown, ESPN's vice president/programming and acquisitions. ``You have one of the most popular teams in the sport, and combine that with the great story of their four-game stretch to open the season. People will return in large numbers to watch them.''

Consider that four of ESPN's six most-viewed college football games ever involved UM. Last year, three ESPN games featuring UM averaged 2.9 million homes, compared with 1.9 million, on average, for all ESPN college games. In 2006, ESPN's UM games averaged 4.3 million homes, compared with 2.0 million for others.

Saturday's UM-Virginia Tech game -- to be called by Sean McDonough and Matt Millen -- will be televised to 54 percent of the country on ABC, with 28 percent seeing it on ESPN. The Oct. 3 Oklahoma game will be televised on ABC at 3:30 p.m. or 8 p.m., but the time hinges on more than whether UM wins Saturday, Brown said.

ABC already has committed to Southern California vs. California that night, as a regional telecast at the least and possibly as a national telecast.

``If USC and Cal both win Saturday, we could use Miami-Oklahoma at 3:30,'' Brown said.

Brown said ABC also might do a ``split national'' with both games at 8 p.m.

Credit Brown for helping arrange the home-and-home series with Oklahoma -- he pitched the idea to former UM athletic director Paul Dee several years ago.

How much does UM interest ESPN? Consider:

• The network scheduled its documentary on the UM football program for a marquee time slot -- 9 p.m. Dec. 12, following its Heisman Trophy telecast.

• ESPN has asked the Canes to open again on Labor Day next year (vs. Virginia Tech), but UM -- which would need to move a season-opening game vs. Florida A&M -- is undecided. It seems like a bad idea, because it would leave UM with a short week before playing at Ohio State. The games against Ohio State (2010 there, 2011 here) could end up on ABC in prime time.

• UM agreed to close the next five seasons against South Florida after ESPN agreed to televise all five games on one of its networks.

There always has been a perception of anti-Canes bias among some announcers, but nobody could suggest that this year. Even ESPN's Lou Holtz, a Canes critic in the past, declared the Hurricanes ``are back.'' ESPN.com's Pat Forde has UM No. 1 in his power rankings, and Kirk Herbstreit has raved about the Hurricanes. And the players, who comport themselves well on and off the field, have given the national media no ammunition for criticism.

• There's a good chance every UM game will be on TV except the Oct. 10 home game at 7 p.m. against Florida A&M, which will be on espn360.com.

AROUND THE DIAL

• 790 The Ticket made more changes this week, dumping Steve White (its program director and early afternoon co-host) and hiring former WQAM personality Hank Goldberg for a weekly show. 790 station manager Howard Davis declined to specifically explain White's dismissal but said new program director Marc Hochman (who will remain the producer on the Dan Le Batard show) ``deserved a promotion.''

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