OPINION: Hope vs. Reality will be biggest matchup for the Miami Hurricanes with ACC schedule set to hit next weekend

If there is one takeaway from the first four games of this Miami Hurricanes season, perhaps it’s best summed up in a single word: Hope.

Hope that after 19 years of mainly mediocrity or false potential that this 4-0 start is not the same mirage we saw with that 10-0 start of 2017.

Hope that the “blueprint” coach Mario Cristobal constantly references is taking hold, with a rebuilt culture that was promised but never brought to fruition from the prior four Miami head coaches.

Hope that “how you do anything is how you do everything,” and the defensive motto “talk, run, hit,” aren’t just talking points but are taken to heart.

And hope that this suffering Miami nation is going to be able to celebrate something meaningful in the near future.

Before this season I predicted eight wins, and many of my media comrades were in the 7-9 range. But now you go on the ESPN College Football Power Index and see Miami No. 15 with a projected 10-2 record.

For good reason.

The Canes are undefeated and ranked No. 18 in both polls.

But there remains a big, looming question: Is it real?

The expectation coming into the year, if you recall, was the team would be either 5-0 or, at worst, 4-1, entering the North Carolina game. The front-ended cupcake schedule dictated that.

Now, off a bye weekend it certainly looks like the 5-0 will be the reality, with a so-so Georgia Tech team at home the lone stumbling block before what promises to be a huge game at No. 15 UNC.

Many Miami fans now are predicting a one-loss season, with No. 5 Florida State on the road a tough one to overcome. But the Seminoles were within a Clemson chip-shot field goal late in the game of losing. And FSU’s scoring output is far above its total yards output, something that should come back to earth at some point (the Seminoles rank No. 8 in the nation in scoring offense but No. 47 in total offense).

Is FSU beatable?

Of course.

But, with the above in mind, it’s also possible this Miami team isn’t quite as good as some fans want to believe. The Canes did beat a good Texas A&M team, no doubt. And the Miami offense looks as good as any in the nation right now, albeit against pretty bad competition outside of the Aggies. But there aren’t many real good defenses on the schedule, and the points should keep flying up on the board.

The caveat really is on Miami’s defensive side. We analyzed this past week how the run defense has been stout, but how the pass defense has showed some of the warts that we were concerned about entering the season with how Lance Guidry likes to attack and leave CBs one-on-one down the field. There’s a reason this team currently ranks No. 66 in the nation in pass defense despite having three of the team’s four opponents so far rank No. 49 (Temple), 90 (Miami-Ohio) and No. 96 (Bethune-Cookman, in FCS) in passing offense.

There are concerns there. Winning high-scoring game can be an iffy proposition, especially in games on the road.

And you see teams like Louisville (No. 15 passing offense), North Carolina (20th), Georgia Tech (24th), FSU (32nd) and Clemson (37th) that all are ranked in the nation’s top 40 in passing offense. That’s five of the final eight opponents.

So celebrate a 4-0 start for sure.

It’s well earned.

But we’re going to learn a heck of a lot more about this team with the ACC schedule kicking off a week from today. Haynes King is just good enough to cause some problems for the Miami D – the Texas A&M transfer is completing 65.1 percent of his passes for 283.0 yards per game with 11 TDs and just two interceptions. He’s also run for 148 yards and another score.

As you look ahead, it sure could be a fun ride. But it also might continue to be a little bit of that blueprint process that tends not to happen overnight.

My personal opinion?

This is a team that should win at least 9 or 10 games based on how well it’s playing.

But what should have fans most excited is one simple fact you can see with your own eyes off the 2022 5-7 disaster: The unmistakable upward trajectory of the program.

After these last 19 years, that should be enough, right?

Even if it doesn’t come to fruition this year, Miami should be a playoff team at some point in the next two or three years.

That’s no longer just hope.

It’s the expectation.

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