Miami and Mario Cristobal facing enormous pressure with ACC media poll out

We all knew the Miami Hurricanes were going to be favorites in the ACC this year. They are coming off of a CFP Championship game appearance and are loaded with one of the top rosters in college football.

But we didn't know exactly how much of a favorite the Hurricanes would be in a conference that the program has yet to collect a trophy from. Well now we know and it's pretty staggering. Miami received 165 first-place votes in the ACC preseason media poll. That's 88 percent of the first-place votes going to the Hurricanes.

This validates any thoughts Miami fans had about how the Hurricanes were regarded going into the season. It also will increase the pressure that Mario Cristobal and the team face in its hunt for a first ACC conference football title.

READ MORE: Miami still has work to do to be considered one of the top programs in college football

Miami must live up to the pressure of expectations

It's a double-edged sword when everyone expects greatness. Ask Clemson, who had 167 of 83 first-place votes (91.2%) as the runaway favorite last season. The Tigers never got out of the gate, losing three of four, including the first two games in conference, and they finished 7-6. 

That's why Cristobal made it clear to say that the Hurricanes can't get too far ahead of themselves despite expectations. 

"You don't say much [and] now that we are getting better and progressing, it's probably time to say less," Cristobal said during the ACC kickoff. "Not time to predict, prognostications, and all that stuff.We would just like to keep our mouths shut and go outside and work, get better, represent our program to the best of our abilities."

Do Cristobal and Miami want expectations to be high? No question. It's nice to live in the top tier of college football. It's great for exposure. It's great for recruiting. It means your program matters, and they are a big part of the discussion. But, as the coach said, there can't be any sacrifice in the work that will officially begin on August 5 when training camp opens. 

READ MORE: Miami is a huge favorite in the ACC this season and need to embrace it

Some of the ACC media poll votes just don't make sense

Miami is the clear favorite and they should be. That makes perfect sense. SMU and Louisville come in at second and third. That makes plenty of sense as well. Most observers think that the Mustangs and the Cardinals are securely among the top four teams in the conference.

Clemson, who is picked to finish fourth, has more first-place votes (7) than either SMU (6) or Louisville (4). I guess I can understand that? It's Clemson, and they've been good enough over the past 15 years to deserve the benefit of the doubt.

READ MORE: ACC tiebreaker fix gives Miami one less absurd hurdle in conference title race

FSU, picked to finish 11th, had three first-place votes. That belief in Mike Norvell and Ashton Daniels is real with at least a few media members. But Stanford, picked to finish dead last, also had a first-place vote. That's one more first-place vote than either of last year's finalists, Duke and Virginia, received.

I can almost understand a couple of people being sold on FSU because the Seminoles are three years removed from winning the ACC. But Stanford? This sort of foolery is exactly why the ACC can't have nice things. Miami will end any fantasies of the Cardinal winning the ACC on September 4. 

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