The Miami Hurricanes don't mind people saying this isn't their year. 

Brutal four game start?  It's OK. 

Head coach still learning to win?  That's perfectly fine.

You see, the Miami Hurricanes are officially a "next year team," but they may be THE next year team. 

I'm not saying that this team isn't going to have success in 2009; an eight win regular season with a quality bowl game seems likely. An ACC title could even be in the cards if things break their way early on. 

What's more important than the success the team has in '09 may be the experience that the young Canes gain from having played through it. 

When Randy Shannon took over the team, he set out to find football players with not only the talent to be stars, but the mind and heart to do it from the day they step on campus.  Miami has had young players in prime roles before, but not since the days of Howard Schnellenberger and Jim Kelly has the door been so open for them to succeed.

Few teams can stack up with the Hurricanes roster when it comes to young talent and even less can when you add the word "proven" to the equation. The Canes have eight players slotted for starting roles that are freshmen or sophomores, the same amount of seniors they have starting. 

In addition, while those sophomores, for the most part, are either irreplaceable (QB Jacory Harris, LB Sean Spence) or are on the brink of much bigger roles (WR LaRon Byrd, DE Marcus Robinson), many of the seniors are in danger of losing their spots. 

Only Jason Fox can be listed among the best ten players on the team, though a small handful of others, including TE Dedrick Epps, S Randy Phillips, will truly be missed. 

The critics focus on the fact that these players and their coach haven't really learned how to win yet, but how much of a chance have they been given? The 2008 Canes played some up and down football, but the "up" parts gave the impression that good things are on the way in Coral Gables.

The four games at the start of the '09 season will go a long way to preparing them for 2010. As quickly as this stretch may mark an early end to the Canes season, it could just as easily send a message to the rest of the college football world that Miami is on their way back.

So what about this whole 2010 National Champions thing? 

The first major step will be a trip to Columbus to take on Terrell Pryor's Buckeyes, but depending on how early it is in the season, a loss there may not eliminate hopes.  Pittsburgh, USF, and Florida A&M round out the out of conference games, none of which should pose a major threat. 

Home games against Florida State, North Carolina and Virginia Tech highlight the ACC schedule, though a game at Georgia Tech could pose a major problem if Jonathan Dwyer and Demaryius Thomas don't jump to the NFL in the 2010 Draft.

The team itself will suddenly be led by a host of upperclassmen, many of which entering their third seasons as starters. Graig Cooper will be a senior looking to restart the Hurricanes first round streak, Jacory Harris will have a full season under his belt for his duel with Pryor, and the rest of the Northwestern boys will be settling into their roles as team leaders.

Not to mention, depending on how '09 goes, there could be a stable of starting caliber wide-outs that runs six or seven deep, and a secondary with players compared to Ed Reed and Sean Taylor respectively starting at safety. 

This article is purely speculative, but it's something that many people forget when they start calling for jobs on the Miami staff.  The Canes and their fans aren't used to being down, so it's no wonder they've gotten restless, but this regime has already done more to restore the Hurricanes legacy than the last one ever did. 

Why not see where another season leads, especially since this team could be the one that makes Miami into The U again.