Miami Football: 5 Things That Will Keep Al Golden Up at Night

Even though the 2012 season hasn't even started yet, there are many things that has to be on the mind of head coach Al Golden.  There are possibly severe NCAA sanctions coming up, issues on the offense and a schedule that will be difficult to overcome.

No matter what the problems are down in Coral Gables, Golden probably isn't getting much sleep.  His goal from when he took the Hurricanes job was to bring back the Hurricanes to what they were in the 80s.

Last year's 6-6 record only proved that they have a long way to go.  Here are my thoughts on what's keeping Golden up at night.

NCAA Sanctions

With the spring session over, the very next item of concern for Miami head coach Al Golden has to be what the NCAA allegations are. 

Although there has been no talk on when that will happen, I personally believe they will get a notice of allegations soon, but don't be surprised if they don't hear anything until the start of the season or maybe even the end of the upcoming one.

Regardless of when it happens, it will happen and that has to be on the mind of coach Golden every single day.

Quarterback Position

The Miami Hurricanes haven't had a dependable quarterback since the early 2000s when Ken Dorsey and Brock Berlin were donning the orange and green.

Jacory Harris had the skills but lacked consistency.  Now with Harris gone the reins now belong to Stephen Morris or Ryan Williams.

Both quarterbacks have potential, but Golden knows that nothing is set in stone.  During spring practice, Morris was held back due to offseason surgery, while Williams got the starting nod—he showed he would definitely be competing for the starting position this upcoming season.

Golden will have the hard job of determining who will be the one to lead Miami back to immortality.

The Entire Offensive Line

It wasn't just the quarterbacks that had a rough spring game; the entire offensive line couldn't keep the defense out of the backfield.

Now granted, the Hurricanes defense is much improved over last years team, but not like that.

The offensive line is filled with great athletes but they were less than stellar towards the end of the spring session.  Al Golden has to be wondering what he needs to do to get these linemen to work together more consistently.

Maybe it was just the fact that it was only the spring game, and they weren't playing as hard as they will when they play a real opposing team?  Maybe the defensive line is really that good?

Whatever the case, Golden has exactly four months to figure it out. 

Brutal Schedule

The Hurricanes are no SEC school when it comes to scheduling out-of-conference teams.  Over the last few years Miami has played perennial powers like Ohio State, Oklahoma and Florida.

This year will be no different as Miami will face Kansas State, who will probably be a preseason ranked top-10 team, and Notre Dame.

Notre Dame is not the school they used to be, but with the past that these two teams have, it doesn't even matter.

With the fall season getting closer and closer to start, Golden has a lot to think about when it comes to the schedule.  Although I am sure they try to take it one game at a time, its hard not to think about playing the above-mentioned teams and others like Florida State, Virginia Tech and North Carolina State.

Good luck coach!

Living Up to the Expectations

I don't care how the Hurricanes have been over the last several seasons; there are high expectations at any major division one college football program, but nothing like at Miami.

After being one of the most dominating college football programs for longer than the last 35 years, there are certain expectations incoming coaches have to deal with.

Golden is coming into his second season, and the expectations are to turn the program around from the very mediocre 6-6 season they suffered just one year ago.

If he allows his team to slide he could be in serious trouble—not just by the university but by fans and media all over the country.