Miami Football: 10 Big Predictions for the 2011 Season

With the cloud that currently hangs over Coral Gables, the 2011 Miami Hurricanes will forever be overshadowed by these two words: Nevin Shapiro.

Shapiro, the former Miami booster, who claimed to have provided players with numerous things such as sex parties, nightclub outings and other "items" has cast a black mark on not only the Miami Hurricanes of today, but the entire program itself.

Pending NCAA rulings, the Hurricanes could be the second team in the history of NCAA Football to ever get the "death penalty." If the 'Canes were to get the death penalty, they would be banned from playing football for at least a year.

There are so many negatives associated with the Hurricanes at the current moment that there isn't any attention being focused on the current group of Miami Hurricanes.

If this is the last season of Miami Hurricanes football before the "death penalty," it wouldn't hurt for the Hurricanes to go out with a bang.

Here are 10 big predictions for the Miami Hurricanes this season.

Stephen Morris Will Become Starting QB

With Jacory Harris suspended at the current moment and his eligibility for the September 5th season opener in question, Stephen Morris suddenly steps into the spotlight. Again.

Jacory Harris was one of the most touted recruits in high school football history, having won the award for Mr. Football in the state of Florida. He has had bright moments while playing for the Hurricanes since his freshman season. Needless to say, his negative play has outweighed his positive play.

In Harris' first two full seasons of starting, Harris has ranked near the top of the nation for INTs thrown. With Harris being associated with the Shapiro scandal that has rocked Hurricanes football, expect Harris to have a season similar to his sophomore and junior campaigns, where he plays the inconsistent type of football 'Canes fans have come to expect from him.

Expect Stephen Morris to provide more stable play at the QB position in 2011.

The Running Game Explodes

Miami has numerous talented running backs. For all of their inconsistent play when it comes to passing the ball, the 'Canes remain an excellent running team, having ran for 183.7 yards a game in 2010.

Lamar Miller is the fastest RB on the team, and he gained 646 yards for six TDs while returning a kickoff for 88 yards against Ohio State last year.

Expect the Miller/James combo to be the best in the ACC this season.

The 'Canes Will Play Very Distracted

The Miami Hurricanes are comprised of a bunch of college-aged kids, ranging in ages from 18-22. It's only natural that they'll be distracted from the national media attention centering on Shapiro's booster scandal.

With constant interviews by the media on the subject and the recurring attention of the topic that you'll see throughout the season, this isn't a scandal that will be forgotten about as the season wears on.

When it comes to big games on the schedule, such as Sep. 5th at Maryland, September 17th vs. Ohio State, October 8th at Virginia Tech and November 12th at Florida State, do not be shocked if Miami gets blown out.

This Hurricanes team has a good mixture of veterans and youth, but with a lot of the veterans being involved in the Shapiro scandal such as Jacory Harris and Sean Spence, it could be a long year for the Hurricanes.

Expect the Hurricanes to Miss the ACC Championship Game...Again

Before the Shapiro scandal rocked the media airwaves, the Hurricanes were the favorite to finish as runner-ups in the Coastal Division to the Virginia Tech Hokies.

As of this moment, the 'Canes would be happy to finish as runner-ups to V-Tech.

When Miami entered the ACC in 2004, the Hurricanes were so supposed to dominate the Coastal Division and face FSU every season in the ACC Championship Game.

It's what ACC representatives envisioned when they expanded the conference to add the likes of Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech. They didn't expect Virginia Tech to be the premier power for the majority of that span.

Expect Miami to finish nowhere close to winning the Coastal Division this season.

Expect another Virginia Tech vs. Florida State ACC Championship game, while the Hurricanes sit at home....again.

The 'Canes Will Play in a Bowl Game...Maybe

If the 'Canes don't get rocked by the NCAA for the infractions involving Nevin Shapiro, the Hurricanes will make it to a bowl game this season.

The Hurricanes really don't have any "surefire" wins on the schedule, with the exception of Bethune-Cookman.

However, even with the suspensions looming and the media coverage that is sure to "progress" as the season wears on, the 'Canes still have too much talent and a great head coach in Al Golden to let the season just go to waste.

It'll be a battle to the end, and I don't expect the Hurricanes to finish any better than 8-4. 7-5 or 6-6 is more realistic.

The 'Canes realistically might not clinch a bowl berth until their second to last game on November 19th at South Florida, or on November 26th in their last game vs. Boston College.

Ramon Buchanan Will Have a Huge Season

In the aftermath of the suspensions handed out to eight Miami players, six of which are defensive starters, Ramon Buchanon will rise.

Buchanon was a solid starter for the Hurricanes last season, finishing fifth on the team in tackles, but was overshadowed by the stellar play of his fellow LBs, Colin McCarthy and Sean Spence.

The Hurricanes have always been a factory for producing stellar LBs who go on to have NFL careers. Ramon Buchanon just might be one of them.

Although Buchanon is no saint, having been arrested for resisting arrest and being suspended, and then reinstated just a couple of weeks after his suspension. Buchanon is expected to start in the season opener vs. Maryland.

With so much leadership of the defense potentially gone and the Shapiro scandal distracting his fellow Miami teammates, it is up to Buchanon to provide veteran leadership to his younger teammates on the defensive side of the ball.

The Hurricanes Will Lose Their Big Games

Something that has been a common trend of the Hurricanes is they have been repeatedly stomped in big games in at least the past four years.

Voters finally got the message and have refused to rank the Hurricanes as a top-25 team heading into the season.

The 'Canes, contrary to the final score, got dominated by Ohio State last year. They lost to their main rival, the Seminoles, 45-17 at home in one of the most embarrassing losses in Hurricanes history. They lost to Virginia in a game that they needed to win to continue their hopes of winning the Coastal Division so that they could play in the ACC Championship. After coming back from a 24-0 deficit to cut the lead to 24-19 with a little under five minutes remaining in the game, they failed to win.

This has been a recurring trend of the Hurricanes for the better part of the last decade. What would lead you to believe things will change this year?

The Hurricanes Form One of the Best Offensive Lines in the Country

I had mentioned in a previous slide about the Hurricanes forming one of the best rushing attacks in the nation with the Lamar Miller/Mike James duo.

A lot of that has to do with not only the tremendous running abilities of both men, but the experience that the Hurricanes have on their offensive line heading into 2011.

The Hurricanes return four starters on the offensive line, including Brandon Washington, a first All-ACC Guard last year, and true freshman Seantrel Henderson.

Henderson may be sidelined for the first few weeks of the season due to back surgery, but expect Malcolm Bunche—who at 6'7" and 328 pounds, isn't much smaller than the much more heralded Seantrel Henderson—to pick up the slack.

The Hurricanes will have inconsistent play by the QB and the defensive side of the ball, but the running game and the offensive line will be major positives for the 2011 Hurricanes.

The Defense Will Be Shredded

You know how the Hurricanes were already such an inconsistent defense last season in giving up 45 points to Florida State, 31 points to Virginia Tech and 36 points to Ohio State?

With the suspensions of the majority of the Hurricanes' best and most experienced defensive players, I can't foresee this defense improving in 2011.

Yes, these suspensions can be revoked before the season even starts. But with the distractions for these players at stake and at the same time worrying about their draft stock plummeting, the odds are simply against the Hurricanes.

Al Golden Will Make the Best of a Terrible Situation

This is as bad as it gets for a football program. For years upon years, when people talk about boosters and scandals, they will forever associate those words with the Miami Hurricanes.

Al Golden is known for making the best of a bad situation. He turned a horrendous Temple program that was famous for their one-win seasons into a bowl program, going 17-8 in his last two seasons with the Owls.

Golden has a lot of talent here in South Florida, but one too many distractions. The Hurricanes won't win a National Championship, they won't win the ACC Championship and they won't win a division title.

However, Golden will keep this team focused enough to be competitive this season and make it to a bowl game. I'm predicting right now that if the Hurricanes do qualify for a bowl game, that Golden will lead the 'Canes to their first bowl victory since 2006.

Enjoy the win, though, because what will follow after 2011 is nothing to be happy about.