Miami Hurricanes Football: The Ins and Outs, Highs and Lows of the 2012 Schedule

The Miami Hurricanes have wrapped up spring practice, which means that we're that much closer to kicking off the regular season.

Head coach Al Golden didn't have the first season he would have liked, having to deal with suspensions and finishing with a 6-6 record, but this is a new year.

This season he has a lot of work to do on the offensive side of the ball, but does return seven talented players from his defense. This is a team that could turn some heads in the ACC if they put everything together nicely these next few months.

But of course it all comes down to the schedule, and the Hurricanes have a few interesting matchups they have to prepare for.

As we get closer to kicking off the regular season, here's your 2012 Miami Hurricanes complete schedule breakdown.

Easiest Game

The easiest game for the Hurricanes this season will come Week 3 against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.

I don't care how many question marks this team may have, if they lose this game, they should just throw the white flag on their season right then and there.

Toughest Game

We'll get to this game a little bit later, but Florida State is probably the most complete team on the Hurricanes' schedule.

They averaged 30 points per game on offense and had one of the top defenses in the country that was ranked fourth in the country last season.

They return nine starters on both sides of the ball and always play the Hurricanes tough.

In 10 of the last 11 meetings the outcome has been decided by single digits.

Potential Blowout

It's hard imagining this Hurricane team being complete enough this season to blow anybody out on this schedule (except Bethune-Cookman of course).

But since I have to pick somebody, I'll go with the Duke Blue Devils at the end of the year. This is a team that was ranked in the 90s in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

The Hurricanes have won eight of the nine times they've played the Blue Devils, and the last five victories have come by 10 points or more. 

Potential for Disaster

Kansas State was really the surprise team last season, winning a total of 10 games. One of those victories came against the Hurricanes in Miami Gardens.

This season, the Wildcats return nine starters on offense and seven on defense. They have a head coach in Bill Snyder who will get the most out of his players once again and likely build on that success.

Miami opens the season with back-to-back road games, and an early loss could really set the tone for the rest of the season, especially with a tough road in the middle of the schedule.

Most Intriguing Matchup

College football is based on tradition, and one of the more interesting matchups I'm looking forward to is the Catholics vs. Convicts game. These teams have only met once since 1990 and it's nice to see them renew a rivalry that has featured so many great games.

Of course, neither one of these programs are where they'd like to be, but that's another thing that makes this game so interesting: two prestigious programs that are both trying to rise to the top at the same time.

Combine that with the fact that the game takes place at Soldier Field, and you have yourself some must-see television.

Trap Game

Don't let last year's 7-6 record fool you, the Tar Heels have talent on both sides of the ball and are returning most of it.

Eight starters on the offensive side of the ball are returning, including quarterback Bryn Renner—who showed he has some skills, completing 68 percent of his passes.

Miami won last season's meeting by six points and the position the schedule is in, this will likely be the trap game for the Hurricanes.

This will be a home game for Miami, but it's a game that's before the Notre Dame and right before the Florida State game.

It's important the Hurricanes avoid the letdown and avoid looking ahead.

Rivalry Game Prediction

Miami has lost five of the last seven against the Seminoles and the last two in a row. I think it's safe to say with the way things are looking right now, they lose once again to Jimbo Fisher's club.

Florida State is one of the more talented teams in the country that returns the majority of their team from a year ago. They should be the favorite to win the ACC this season and have a solid shot to reach the national championship if they take care of business.

Miami has a lot of question marks offensively and lost most of their difference makers on defense.

This game is still months from taking place and the Seminoles could become the inconsistent team we saw at times last season, but if I'm forced to pick now, anyone in their right mind would likely go with the Seminoles.

They're just too deep and have fewer questions to answer heading into the year.

Florida State wins: 31-24

Upset Special

Virginia may not be the most talented team in the ACC, but head coach Mike London sure knows how to get the most out of his guys.

In his second year as head coach, he increased his win total by four games. He returns six starters on offense from last year's squad and they look to continue to build on that success.

First, the game will take place in Charlottesville—playing at home helps any underdog.

Another thing is how well the Cavaliers played against the Hurricanes last season. This is a team that finished with 470 total yards and picked up 21 first downs in the 28-1 victory.

Virginia is a team that doesn't hurt themselves and has one of the deepest running back tandems in the country. Watch out for Virginia this season.

Heisman Highlight Game

Is it safe to say that the Miami Hurricanes don't really have a Heisman candidate heading into the regular season? I think so.

Nearly this entire offense is rebuilding and majority of the defensive standouts have graduated or left early for the NFL.

But if there is a dark horse candidate, the best chance for them to make a statement will be the game against the Florida State Seminoles.

It will likely be a prime-time game, against a loaded defense and will provide the Hurricanes a chance to knock off a possible national championship contender.

I doubt there's a serious candidate on this roster, but he'll have to emerge on the biggest possible stage for Miami this season.

Must-Win Game

It's going to be an optimistic year for the Hurricanes this season, but the must-win game for me is the one against Boston College.

Now the Golden Eagles haven't been a team to brag about the last couple of seasons, but they do return nine starters on both sides of the ball and have won the last two meetings against the Hurricanes.

With all of the questions with this year's team, the scandal that happened last season and the below-average season, it's important the Hurricanes get off to a good start.

That would of course mean winning the first game of the season, regardless the quality of the opponent.