Joel Klatt slotted Miami at No. 9 in his updated top-10 after the Hurricanes flattened Stanford, praising their top-end traits while warning about their floor. Discussing the 42–7 result, Klatt noted a sloppy opening half before Miami pulled away.
"I thought it was a sloppy first half against Stanford before they kind of buried them in the second half. And what worries me is those six quarters — the four quarters against Louisville and the Friday night loss and then the opening two quarters against Stanford — It's like, okay, I'm starting to see the peaks and valleys of Miami. Don't love the valleys. I really don't."Joel Klatt
Miami went to halftime tied 7-7, then ripped off 35 unanswered with a three-touchdown third quarter, led by Mark Fletcher Jr.’s career-high three rushing scores and a defense that smothered the Cardinal after the break. Klatt also acknowledged that in his segment.
"Having said that, at the top end, Miami does at times control the line of scrimmage. They play really quality defense. I like their quarterback when he's not turning the football over. So, peaks and valleys with Miami, but pulling away from Stanford in the second half I thought was really nice."Joel Klatt
Klatt's concern about the Hurricanes' floor directly comes from the Louisville loss nine days earlier, when Carson Beck threw four interceptions and never led in a 24-21 defeat. That four-turnover outlier is the glaring valley on an otherwise strong profile that includes wins over Notre Dame, Florida State and a dominant showing against USF.
Klatt mentioned the rest of the team being solid, and for the defense, they might be one of the best units in the nation. Through seven games, Miami is allowing 270.4 total yards per game (4.37 yards per play), with a pass defense holding opponents to 183.1 yards per game. They've generated 15 sacks and have been particularly efficient in wins (254.3 yards allowed per game). That's the identity of this football team.
Klatt's No. 9 is a fair snapshot and he did rank them above BYU (the Cougars and Canes are tied for No. 10 in the AP Top 25). Miami has enough to make the CFP, but the "peaks and valleys" are real.