Miami football faces pattern of Alabama blowouts in season openers

The Miami football program has the challenge of facing an Alabama program that has an established pattern of blow victories in its season openers at neutral sites from 2012-2019. In the COVID-19 rescheduled games of 2020, Alabama won 38-19 at Missouri in its season opener. Miami struggled in recent neutral openers.

The Miami football team lost 33-17 to LSU in Arlington, Texas in the 2018 season opener and against Florida 24-20 in Orlando in 2019. Miami and Alabama have not played since a 34-13 Crimson Tide victory in the 1993 Sugar Bowl earned them the 1992 National Championship over the Hurricanes.

Alabama has dominated the series with a 14-3 edge all-time. The Crimson Tide has an average margin of victory of 27.375 points per game during eight neutral-site games between 2012 and 2019. Four of those games came against ranked teams with an average margin of 27 PPG.

Miami will be the fifth-ranked team in the last 10 seasons to play Alabama in a neutral site game to kickoff the year. The Hurricanes are ranked 16th in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll. Wayne Staats of NCAA.Com previewed the game that includes a list of Alabama wins since 2012 in its season openers.

"“Alabama vs. Miami (FL) in Atlanta, Georgia — 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 4The Crimson Tide have made it a habit of winning big against nonconference opponents to start the season:Def. Duke 42-3 in 2019 in AtlantaDef. Louisville 51-14 in 2018 in OrlandoDef. then-No. 3 Florida State 24-7 in 2017 in AtlantaDef. then-No. 20 USC 52-6 in 2016 in Arlington, TexasDef. then-No. 20 Wisconsin 35-17 in 2015 in Arlington, TexasDef. West Virginia 33-23 in 2014 in AtlantaDef. Virginia Tech 35-10 in 2013 in AtlantaDef. then-No. 8 Michigan 41-14 in 2012 in Arlington, TexasThat’s more than a little pattern. That’s a habit. There’s also some added intrigue to this. This marks the first time Alabama and Miami will play since the 1993 Sugar Bowl — when the Tide romped 34-13 to win the national title."

The Alabama Miami game is included as one of “Top 9 nonconference games in the 2021 college football season.” Miami versus Alabama is one of three games that Staats lists on September 4. Georgia against Clemson in Charlotte is the premier game to open the season with ESPN Gameday on location in the Queen City.

Louisiana who is one of the top Group of Five programs plays at Texas on September 4 in the thid opening weekend game that Staats mentions as one of the nine top non-conference games in 2021. The Miami football program can make a statement against Alabama with a positive performance against Alabama.