Author: Obvious Eric

The Miami Hurricanes football program is enjoying pre-season hype from the media. Coach Mario Cristobal has “hometown roots.” and has had success as a head coach. The entire college football world wants the program to be a success.  But, the school hasn’t found the right combination after the glory era of the 80’s and 00’s. It won’t be with a new coach.  Manny Diaz engendered the same optimism from fans and players with his success as a defensive coach and “hometown roots.” In 2008, Randy Shannon engendered the same optimism when he took the job because of his recruiting skills…

The FIU football program has lost 18 straight games to FBS teams. The Texas State Bobcats are the first FBS team they play this season. FIU and Texas State are similar football programs. They can beat Texas State. Texas State beat them in overtime last year, 23-17. Be careful of a team on a losing streak FIU Quarterback Max Bortenschlager threw an INT and running back D’Vonte Price lost two fumbles in last year’s game. Bortenschlager threw for 254 yards and 2 TD’s so Texas State is vulnerable. Last year, Chambers caught four passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. Joseph…

The Miami Hurricanes annual rivalry with Virginia Tech will end this season. The NCAA Division I Council decided to end divisional play and will end a very good, competitive and bitter rivalry. Hurricane fans wanted rivalries when they changed their Independent status in 1992. Virginia Tech’s role in the rivalry started out as “a pest” and later turned into “a bully.” The two teams will play October 15 at Blacksburg and then only play each other twice every four years in a “home and home” series. Fellow Heroic writer, Rich Luttenburger predicts a Miami win in this article, but Virginia…

The Miami Hurricanes football program has struggled to make winning plays in important games. No game last season exemplified that more than the final drive versus Florida State.  The new staff can preach their new philosophy until their blue in the face. Sometimes, like with the University of Minnesota, those philosophies and slogans work. But, having players that make “intelligent football plays” are very important. The Hurricanes have lacked these players in the last 20 years.  Listening to the radio broadcast, longtime voice Joe Zagacki, bellowed out the following: “The Hurricanes have the game in control and all they have…

The FIU football team is predicted to lose every game this season. Head Coach Mike MacIntyre is a relative unknown person in South Florida. The University is surrounded by local businesses, suburban houses, local elementary schools, middle and high schools. Miami-Dade County is a place where there is a wide variety of activities. So why do individual game tickets start at $50? A comparison of other ticketed athletic events in Miami: Tickets at 400 level at Miami Heat games (vs lower tier opponents)    $40 Movies at IMAX theater            $16 Upper deck seats at Hard…

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) will play their final season in Conference USA. The Owls have a high-profile coach (Willie Taggart) and quarterback (N’Kosi Perry). Last season, the team lost four straight games and got shut out of a bowl. They beat UTEP but got outclassed by UAB, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State.  The ingredient that can allow them to make the Championship game is “greatness.” Coach Taggart and N’Kosi Perry have something to prove Willie Taggart got his dream job at Florida State University but went 9-12 in two years. N’Kosi Perry started college at Miami, but he broke…

Florida International University’s student body wanted a football program very badly. They cheered the day that an athletic fee was added to their tuition costs. The football fans got what they wanted. Since 2002, FIU has had a football program. It went to bowl games. It won bowl games. Athletes in the program have gotten drafted to the NFL. They even won a game versus the Miami Hurricanes. Now, twenty years later, the program is in decline. Only the students, the fans can save the program. Does FIU know how to run a football program? According to an op-ed by…

The Miami Hurricanes and the North Carolina Tarheels will end their annual rivalry this season.  In 2004, Miami vs. North Carolina would not be close to a rivalry. But, North Carolina has owned Miami in this rivalry since the start. Miami fans wanted to be in the Atlantic Coast conference so they could be part of rivalries. From the article, “The Psychology of Sports Rivalries”,  Sigmund Freud explains why rivals are created. ” In short, competing teams don’t want to lose to one another. The West Virginia-Pitt rivalry, “Backyard Brawl” is a great example. That loss would mean a loss…

Mario Cristobal is the new coach of the Hurricanes and has started the pre-season hype. Coach Cristobal and his staff have, so far, recruited four commitments ranked in the Top 100 of the 24/7 Sports composite ranking. The Hurricanes program has had successful recruiting in past years, but the talent on the field never led to more victories. Ed Reed, the chief of staff, spoke on a podcast about how past Hurricane coaches failed players. He spoke about how he could provide observations to the athletes about life and football. Alonzo Highsmith is the general manager of the program. Jason Taylor…