Miami football stays in top 10 in ESPN preseason power rankings

The Miami football team is poised for their best season since the early 2000s. They will begin 2018 in the top 10 for the first time since 2005. They will be ranked in the preseason in back to back years for the first time since 2005 and 2006.

ESPN has the Miami football team ninth in their preseason power rankings. That tops the ACC Coastal Division and is second in the conference overall. As to be expected Clemson is the ACC’s highest ranked team in ESPN’s power rankings. The Tigers are second nationally behind perennial number one Alabama.

Wisconsin who defeated Miami in the Orange Bowl last season is sixth. Richt’s former employer Georgia is fourth. The rest of the teams ahead of Miami are number three Ohio State, number five Washington, number seven Oklahoma and number eight Penn State.

ESPN’s Andrea Adelson who is a former Miami Hurricanes beat writer has a good handle on what to expect this season. She touches on the three-game losing streak to end 2017, the strength at linebacker and in the secondary and is concerned about the offensive line. She notably did not mention quarterback and rightfully so.

While a lot of followers of the Miami football program, both fans and foes have criticized Malik Rosier’s play in 2017, particularly during the losing streak, the offensive line remains a bigger concern. It’s a problem Miami Head Coach Mark Richt talked about throughout Spring Practice.

Adelson’s summary of the outlook for the Miami football team for 2017 is a fair and accurate analysis of what to expect. Staying healthy this season has to be another concern for Richt after losing Mark Walton, Ahmmon Richards and Chris Herndon IV for significant portions of 2017.

"“Nobody in Miami is happy with the way last season ended: three straight losses to put a damper on what was the best season in more than a decade in Coral Gables. Using that as offseason motivation, Miami has its sights set on starting strong, and also finishing strong.The returning starters at linebacker and in the secondary combine to give the Hurricanes one of the best units in the ACC.It’s on offense where Miami needs to show marked improvement over a unit that couldn’t hit big plays with consistency last season. The offensive line remains a work in progress, and that could cause trouble Week 1 against what should be a tough LSU defense. — Adelson”"

Walton and Herndon are off the to the NFL. Their health is now more the concern of the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Jets. Head Miami Football Athletic Trainer Vinny Scavo has a big job ahead of him this fall.

Richards played in only seven games in 2017 and his number dropped significantly. After setting the Miami Freshman receiving yardage record in 2016 with 934 yards, Richards dropped to 439 yards last season. His receptions also dropped from 49 in 2016 to 24 in 2017.

Only two teams on Miami’s schedule are ranked in the top 25. Virginia Tech is 15th and Florida State despite last season’s 7-6 record is 18th.