Who is the Player to Watch on Each of Miami Hurricanes 2017 Opponents?

Virtually each game the Miami Hurricanes play this season presents some challenge. Half of the games on the UM schedule feature a top 100 player in college football.

As a Football Championship Subdivision team, Bethune-Cookman was not included in the list. In order of the games, teams on the Miami Hurricanes schedule with players ranked in the Sports Illustrated top 100 are Arkansas State, Toledo, Florida State, Virginia, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh.

Arkansas State and Toledo had one player each while the other schools had several players in the top 100. Virginia is a bit of a surprise. The Cavaliers are the picked to finish last in the ACC Coastal Division.

Several other outlets published their own list of top 50 to 130 players in the FBS. The Miami Hurricanes are fortunate to be in the Coastal instead of the Atlantic. Favored to win the Coastal, the Hurricanes would be picked to finish third or fourth in the Atlantic.

The majority of the talent in the ACC also lies in the Atlantic. Clemson, Louisville Wake Forest, Boston College and North Carolina State all have players ranked in the top 100 players in the country. The Miami Hurricanes avoid all of them this season.

The Hurricanes season will also get tested early. UM would have faced Arkansas State defensive end Ja’Von Rolland-Jones in week two, the Hurricanes travel to Tallahassee for what will likely be their biggest test of the season week three.

The Seminoles boast six players ranked in SI’s top 100 including the number one overall player Derwin James.