Miami football 2019 national predictions vary greatly

After beginning the 2018 season with the nation’s number eight ranking the Miami football team stumbled to a 7-6 season and 34-3 blowout loss to Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl. The expectations for the Hurricanes from the national media for 2019 vary greatly.

Over half of the staff for the Miami football program overturned during the 2019 offseason. The biggest one was the promotion (after an 18-day hiatus at Temple) of Manny Diaz from defensive coordinator to head coach. That has muted the expectations for the Hurricanes for 2019 from many national media sites.

The Miami football team is ranked as high as 13th to as low as 56th or out of the rankings depending on the national website. Some sites have ranked 129-130 FBS teams while others have only ranked the top 25. A year ago it would have been inconceivable for the Hurricanes to be unranked entering 2019.

The 2018 Miami football season was a roller coaster of emotions. It began with a 33-17 season-opening loss to LSU that was far worse than the final score. The Hurricanes rebounded with a five-game winning streak. That was followed by a four-game losing streak that put reaching a bowl game in jeopardy.

After winning their last two games of the 2018 regular season at Virginia Tech and at home against Pittsburgh there was optimism for the game against Wisconsin. That ended quickly with two quick touchdowns by the Badgers at Yankee Stadium. Miami has promise for 2019 but a lot of factors go into their success.

Diaz and his staff have to get quarterback, the offensive line and the secondary figured out before the season opener against Florida August 24 in Orlando. The questions marks and how well they are solved is why the Hurricanes expectations vary widely entering 2019.