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As the college coaching carousel is in full spin, Michigan, Florida and Nebraska are three elite programs in search of returning to prominence. They all have proud and winning traditions and were once the model of excellence in college football. This makes you think of another school looking to climb back to college football’s elite: Miami.
The Hurricanes were once the hottest thing going in college football, and now the talk in South Florida is still more about the Miami Heat even with LeBron James back in Cleveland. Things haven’t been easy for the Canes; there’s no dismissing that as they’ve had to climb out of the off-the-field problems that crippled their football program, But now it’s time to wonder if they have the right coach to continue the fight.
Al Golden was once one of the hottest head coaching candidates in college football after he transformed lowly Temple into winners. He then moved on to Coral Gables, and after four years the results have been mixed. After 6-6 and 7-5 records and with school imposed bowl bans in place, Golden and the Hurricanes were ready for a big 2013 campaign. And for seven games they delivered an undefeated start. Then there was a date with hated rival Florida State and the Noles rolled over the Canes. This was followed by beatings from Virginia Tech and Duke, leaving the Canes in college football’s mediocrity.
This year things only got worse. They opened the season getting trounced by Louisville and then went on to lose every meaningful game on their schedule, including blowing a double-digit lead to the Noles at home. There’s talent on the Canes roster. Duke Johnson is one of the nation’s top running backs, and their freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya has shown flashes of greatness. It’s Golden who is the one you may have to worry about.
The true test of a team is how they respond after getting knocked down, and Golden’s teams have yet to rise up. In each of the last two seasons, after losing arguably their biggest game on the schedule the Canes have been dreadful. They gave up 40 points in the two straight losses after losing to Florida State in 2013, and then this year after collapsing against their instate rivals, the Canes spiraled out of control with three straight double-digit losses to end the season.
So while things haven’t been easy for Golden a 6-6 record and a team that has collapsed down the stretch, the last two years won’t fly at Miami for long. The school that has literally built buildings and flourished from its once thriving football team will not take sitting in college football obscurity for long. This means that for Golden, the time may be up.
Billy Dowling is a NCAAF/ACC Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bdowling33 or add him to your network on Google.
