Podcast: Where does Miami fit in realignment? And how big a deal is Mauigoa’s commitment?
The winds of conference realignment are blowing once again in college football and the Atlantic Coast Conference might be in deep trouble.
What would does it all mean for the Miami Hurricanes? This will be the defining question of the next few years for Miami and its new administration.
The Eye on the U podcast is back again this week because the news just won’t stop, and David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan, the Hurricanes beat writer for the Miami Herald, have to break down the latest seismic shift in college sports, as well as a big week of recruiting for the Hurricanes.
Actually, those two topics sort of go hand in hand. Hang tight for an explanation.
First of all, it doesn’t seem like Miami will be long for the ACC after the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins both bolted from the Pac-12 Conference or the Big Ten Conference last week. The college landscape keeps inching toward a two-conference solution and the Los Angeles schools’ move brings it closer to reality than ever.
After the Pac-12 and Big 12 conferences have been raided in each of the last two years, the ACC could be next and Miami needs to be proactive in exploring all options or risk getting left behind in a potential mid-major conference.
Honestly, annual matchups with the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles and Clemson Tigers in the Southeastern Conference don’t sound so bad, if the SEC tries to take some of the ACC’s biggest brand-name programs.
While this saga is far from over, the Hurricanes suddenly feel safe and this recent run of commitments — including a pair of pledges from Bradenton IMG Academy stars Francis Mauigoa and Riley Williams over the weekend — are part of the reason why.
A few years ago, Miami sort of just felt like another ACC school, settling for pedestrian facilities and inconsistent football. Now, new athletic director Dan Radakovich and new coach Mario Cristobal have the Hurricanes acting like an SEC school, and Cristobal’s recruiting success are a good sign this new era is going to work out alright in Coral Gables.
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