Miami Football rises to seventh in both polls ahead of playing Clemson
The Miami football team moved up one spot in the AP Media Top 25 and USA Today Coaches poll ahead of playing number one Clemson this week.
The Miami football team will travel to Clemson as the seventh-ranked team in the country. The Hurricanes moved up one spot in the AP Media Top 25 and USA Today Coaches poll following the games played Saturday. Clemson is ranked first. Clemson and Miami were first and seventh when they played in 2017.
Clemson won the ACC Championship 38-3 over Miami in 2017. The Tigers and Hurricanes are two of the four ACC teams ranked among the top eight in the country. Notre Dame is fourth and North Carolina is ranked eighth. Saturday is the second game this season Miami will play involving two ranked teams.
Then number 17 Miami won 47-34 at number 18 Louisville last month. Saturday’s game will be a huge step up for Miami. The Hurricanes are 8-8 all-time against the number one team. The last game Miami played involving two ranked teams before this season was a 33-17 loss as the eighth-ranked team to number 25 LSU.
This will be the first season the Miami football team has played multiple games involving ranked teams since 2017. Miami defeated Virginia Tech and Notre Dame at Hard Rock Stadium in 2017, lost to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte and in the Orange Bowl Game at Hard Rock to Wisconsin.
It'll be No. 7 Miami at No. 1 Clemson next week. That'll be the first time Miami has been part of a top-seven matchup since the Canes and Tigers held those identical rankings in the 2017 ACC title game, where Clemson rolled 38-3.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) October 4, 2020
Manny Diaz has Miami quickly recovered from a three-game losing streak to end the 2019 season. The hiring of offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and the addition of quarterback D’Eriq King has transformed a stagnant Miami offense in 2019 into one of the best in the country in 2020.
Being involved in games between two ranked teams is an important step for a program establishing itself as one of the best in the country. Miami plays North Carolina and Virginia Tech later this season in games that could continue to put the Hurricanes in the national spotlight.
Next. Miami benefits from third straight game on ESPN College Gameday. dark
Miami and Clemson will have the attention of college football on Saturday. Saturday will be the third straight game for Miami featured on ESPN College Gameday and the ABC College Football Primetime Game of the Week. The Virginia Tech or North Carolina games could be picked up by ESPN or ABC later this season.