Were Miami Hurricanes disrespected in final college football polls?
Replacing Herndon was much more difficult. Sophomore Michael Irvin II caught nine passes for 78 yards this season. He replaced Herndon after the Senior required knee surgery following the regular season loss to Pittsburgh.
In the ACC Championship loss to Clemson and the Orange Bowl loss to Wisconsin, Irvin combined for four receptions for 22 yards. Miami was never able to replace Herndon effectively.
Was the final spot of 13 a fair assessment of where Miami should be ranked? It depends on the measurement and who is doing the ranking. One troubling part of the ranking is that Notre Dame finished 11th, two spots ahead of Miami.
Although the game was played at Hard Rock Stadium, the Hurricanes throttled the Fighting Irish 41-8. Notre Dame won the Citrus Bowl with a 21-17 victory over LSU. That vaulted Notre Dame three spots after Miami fell two. Was that equitable after the Hurricanes blowout victory over the Fighting Irish?
On the season, Notre Dame averaged 448.4 total yards per game, 269.5 rushing and 34.2 points per game. Miami held Notre Dame to eight points, 261 total yards and 109 on the ground on just three yards per carry. It’s hard to believe all of that was attributed to the Hurricanes home field advantage at Hard Rock Stadium.