Miami Hurricanes Football: 'Canes Just Not the Same Since Move to the ACC

Since their move to the ACC back in 2004, the Miami Hurricanes have yet to win a conference title.  Heck, they have yet to even make an appearance in the ACC title game.  Why is this? 

Is the competition that much more fierce in the ACC?

I wouldn't think so.  Virginia Tech belonged to the Big East, just like Miami did, yet Miami continued to dominate that conference year after year. 

If anything, the ACC fairs equally to the Big East.  With the exception of, say, Florida State, the ACC seems to line up quite well with the Big East. 

Currently, the Big East consists of Rutgers, Pitt, Syracuse, West Virginia, Cincinnati, UConn, South Florida and Louisville.

While the ACC is comprised of Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia, North Carolina and Duke.

Granted, the ACC doubles the Big East in terms of numbers, but the competition doesn't seem to differ that much between the two.  

Still, how does Miami go from national champions to bottom-feeders?

Perhaps it is due to coaching. 

Larry Coker is considered to be the downfall of the Hurricanes.  He guided the 'Canes to a 12-0 season and a national title in 2001, following a Rose Bowl victory over Nebraska, but many seem to think that he was only successful due to the players that former head coach Butch Davis left behind. 

The following year, Coker led the "U" to another national title opportunity, the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State, but his record gradually declined thereafter. Coker finished his tenure at Miami with a 60-15 record—still, not too shabby.

Randy Shannon's run began in 2007.  Fan's had high expectations, as they do every year.  Shannon bled orange and green.  He seemed to be the perfect fit.  But with time, he proved to be the opposite. 

With names like Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson and Butch Davis, it seemed that Shannon took on a job that he just wasn't fit for.  He was thrown to the wolves and expected to make it out alive. 

Sometimes people just don't pan out as head coaches.  Shannon was certainly an example of this. 

So maybe coaching does play a significant role in the Hurricanes success—or currently, a lack thereof.

How about recruiting?  Did this play an issue in the 'Canes decline once in the ACC?

I wouldn't think so.  After all, year after year the Hurricanes continued to sign some of the best talent in the country.  In 2008 Miami was credited with having the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. 

The problem is, when that talent fails to develop, these same players leave college just as they came. 

So once again, a failure to develop falls back on coaching.

We can eliminate weather from the list. (I use this for the sake of argument.  I've heard that since the 'Canes have joined the ACC, they should be a dominating force since they regularly play in weather that mirrors the climate in southern Florida)

Any 'Canes fan will recall the beat down Miami received in 2009 at the hands of Wisconsin.  The temperature was what, a mild 65 degrees?  And yet Miami's players were sitting on the sidelines engulfed by heaters and donning winter jackets—come on now.  65 degrees is like summer in Wisconsin. 

While in the Big East, the 'Canes had to play in Cincinnati, New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Connecticut, to name a few.  They seemed to fair pretty well in 2001 and 2002.  So weather can't be used an excuse.   

The only logical answer, to me, is not just coaching, but the quality of the coaching.  When you are repeatedly presented with new coordinators and head coaches, it will eventually affect any player.  The demands of learning new systems and different playbooks becomes exhausting.  

Now that Al Golden is on board, and hopefully for the long run, his face will be the only one to be seen for years to come.