Miami Football: Hurricanes Remaining Committed to the ACC Is a Good Thing

In the recent firestorm of realignment talk and folks like Florida State feeling disenfranchised by the conference in which they currently reside, there has been ample speculation as to who would leave the ACC. Miami was one of those teams. However, the Hurricanes, at least it appears, are making the smart play by remaining committed to the ACC. 

For Florida State, a school that is pushing to keep up with the Gators across the state, the interest in the Big 12 makes sense. They need the funds to pay their coaches, upgrade facilities and continue to push their budget skyward. For Miami, a school that is focused on their continuous image reconstruction and pushing to upgrade their academic standing, the ACC makes a lot more sense.

Perhaps, if the Hurricanes were in their pre-ACC form, winning titles, sending boatloads of players to the league in the early rounds and piling wins on top of wins, the Big 12 would make a bit more sense. However, as it stands now, that's not who Miami is. The "State of Miami" recruiting grounds do not exist anymore. Schools from all over the map are picking kids up from the lands south of Tampa and the landscape is changing.

Kids today are growing up knowing they can play ball anywhere. Playing at home is nice, but as several Florida players are showing, getting out of their home area is not that bad of an idea. Throw in the fact that Miami is staring down the barrel of some NCAA retribution and what the 'Canes are dealing with is a hard road back to where they want to be.

Put Texas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, TCU and Oklahoma State on the schedule and it does not get much easier for The U. The program was built playing tough schedules but it was rebuilt in the mid-90's through playing the Big East. Some tough non-conference games, running through the Big East and viola, success. The ACC is a place where those same things can happen for Miami.

The 'Canes need money, but money is not going to be the thing that resurrects Miami's program. A move to a new league is not going to get them a new stadium. A move to a new league is not going to stop kids from seeing all of their collegiate options when it comes to recruiting. A move to a new league is not going to fill up Sun Life stadium for mediocre teams playing mediocre games.

Miami needs to stay in the ACC. Fight through their troubles and find a formula for success that will work in today's landscape of college football. It is not the 1980's or even the early 2000's anymore. The 'Canes still have the opportunity to win, it just is going to take a lot of work and the ACC provides more of an opportunity than any other league.