Podcast: AP Poll thoughts and whose stock is on the rise after Miami’s first scrimmage
The AP Poll dropped Monday and it can only mean one thing: College football season is really almost here and the Miami Hurricanes are going to start it with a number next to their name.
Miami opens the year at No. 16 — the third-highest ranked team in the Atlantic Coast Conference and one spot ahead of the rival Pittsburgh Panthers.
It helps set expectations for the Hurricanes this season, and David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan, the Miami Herald’s Hurricanes beat writers, open up a new episode of the Eye on the U podcast by discussing those.
If the poll is right, the ACC is poised to be competitive this year — five teams are ranked and another is just outside the Top 25 — and Miami is the team to beat in the Coastal Division.
Another sign the season is almost here: The Hurricanes scrimmaged Saturday and they’ll have another one this weekend.
The buzz coming out of the first scrimmage is positive about Miami’s defense and particularly its overhauled defensive line. The Hurricanes have been hyping up their depth and insisting they’ll rotate in waves of defensive linemen this year, and they fulfilled this promise at least in this intrasquad tune-up.
An improved defensive line would go a long way toward repairing Miami’s defense after a few underwhelming seasons.
On offense, the wide receivers, however, remain a question mark. Drops have plagued the Hurricanes all throughout training camp and there’s still no clarity at the position, beyond the reliability of wide receiver Xavier Restrepo. It’s sort of a bizzarro version of the defensive line: On the line, Miami has no clear stars, but it’s fine because there seem to be eight-plus reliable contributors; at receiver, the Hurricanes have no clear stars, but also don’t have many proven, reliable contributors.
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