Were Miami Hurricanes disrespected in final college football polls?
The Miami Hurricanes dropped two spots in both the final College Football Coaches and Media polls to 13th in the rankings for 2017. Miami finished the season ranked 17th in ESPN’s Football Power Index.
Heading into the last game of the regular season the Miami Hurricanes were ranked second in the college football playoff rankings. In the final 2017 poll, Miami dropped two spots in both the coaches and media polls to 13th.
The Miami Hurricanes were tenth in the final College Football Playoff rankings and 11th in the traditional polls. No matter how polls are constructed there will always be an argument. Do we use a computer or the human polls? How much should head to head and schedule strength matter? All of those questions and more related to Miami’s fall in the rankings.
Unlike most other teams, the Hurricanes were fortunate to end the season in the Orange Bowl on their home field. Memphis and Florida Atlantic were the only two other schools to play bowl games at home. The Hurricanes lost 34-24 to higher ranked and favored Wisconsin.
Miami was missing three offensive starters. Running back Mark Walton, wide receiver Ahmmon Richards and tight end Christopher Herndon IV all missed the Orange Bowl with season-ending injuries. Travis Homer did a good job in the final two-thirds of the season replacing Walton. Braxton Berrios stepped up to become Miami’s top receiver.