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| The 2001 Miami Hurricanes (Photo Credit: University of Miami) |
Written By: Nathan Skinner (@Canedude08)
@CanesRisingBlog Contributor
What makes Miami a unique program? Is it the characters that have called the program home? Is it the great players who have worn the orange and green? No, it's the great teams that have stormed out of the tunnel and onto the field of play. Teams that have won conference and national titles, while staking their claims as some of the best teams ever assembled. While finishing the season as kings of the sport guarantees you a spot on this list, it isn't the only metric. Talent, depth, strength of schedule, and importance to the program was also taken into consideration.
Miami's Best Teams
1. 2001 National Champions
Was there any doubt about who would hold the top spot? This team was the finest collection of talent in Miami history, and is arguably the finest team ever assembled. This team's bench could have finished the season in the top fifteen, that's how loaded Larry Coker's first Miami team was. The 2001 'Canes could beat any team, in any way it saw fit. Ken Dorsey was the leader of a dynamic offense that featured a multitude of weapons. Defensively, Ed Reed and Jon Vilma led a unit that smothered the opposition. Even the special teams were extraordinary, with Todd Sievers and Freddie Capshaw being among the nation's best at their respective positions. This team was overwhelming, especially against ranked opponents. In five games against teams ranked in the top 25, the 'Canes won by an average score of 47-14.
2. 1986 Runner Up
This team could have been as feted as the 01 'Canes, but the 1987 Fiesta Bowl happened. This team was dominant, cruising to an undefeated regular season, but couldn't overcome Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions in the national championship game. Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde led one of the best passing offenses in school history, with Michael Irvin and Brian Blades dominating opposing secondaries. The 'Canes averaged 35.8 points per game, while only allowing 12.5. Jimmy Johnson's 'Canes crushed everyone in the regular season, with only Florida coming within 10 points. This team had it all, attitude, character, and outstanding players, but it didn't win the one game that mattered. While the 'Canes defense came to play in the Fiesta Bowl, the offense was awful, with Testaverde throwing a career high five interceptions. Penn State scored a measly fourteen points, but it was more than enough as Alonzo Highsmith and the 'Canes couldn't mount a late comeback, falling 14-10 in a shocking upset. Most experts consider this the best college team to have not won a national championship.
3. 1987 National Champions
This was a team that no one expected to win a championship. The '86 team was so incredibly dominant, and failed so publicly, it was assumed that the 1987 'Canes would struggle to recover. What the experts didn't know was that Miami would press on, and reload. While Vinny Testaverde, Jerome Brown, Alonzo Highsmith were all gone, Miami returned a lot of players, including new quarterback Steve Walsh. Walsh didn't have the physical talent of Testaverde, but he had a firm grasp of the system, and rarely made mistakes. Jimmy Johnson's 'Canes came out early in the season and crushed preseason #1 Florida State, and proceeded to rout Arkansas and Florida. Those wins established Miami as a contender, and the 'Canes didn't disappoint, going 11-0 in the regular season and earning a spot in the Federal Express Orange Bowl. The #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners didn't stand a chance, as Miami swamped the Big 8 Champions, winning 20-14. The win sealed Miami's second national championship of the decade, and firmly established Miami as a national power.
4. 1991 National Champions
This team was the best team of the Dennis Erickson era, and was the last Miami team to win a title during the "Decade of Dominance". Gino Torretta led an outstanding offense, but the strength of this team was the defense. The "Bermuda Triangle" linebacker corps dominated the second level, and the defensive line featured a bevy of talented players. Dennis Erickson's team was not only deep on the field, but in the coaches' box as well, as the staff featured names like Tuberville, Lubick, and Orgeron. The '91 'Canes dominated from the first kickoff, all the way to the final seconds of the FedEx Orange Bowl. Miami crushed a highly rated Houston team, and then rolled through the rest of the schedule, surviving gritty Penn State, and defeating Florida State in a game that will forever be known as Wide Right I.
5. 2000 Big East Champions
As the world moved into the new millenium, the Miami Hurricanes were moving into a new era. Following the end of the "Decade of Dominance", Butch Davis was given the immense task of rebuilding the program. In 2000, Davis' outstanding recruiting classes finally bore fruit, and Miami exploded back onto the national scene. What made this team special was the fashion in which it was constructed. Butch Davis and his staff had to find creative ways to build a competitive team while not having access to a full compliment of scholarships. Santana Moss and Daryl Jones were track stars who happened to play football. Joaquin Gonzalez was a player who wasn't good enough to play big time college football. Despite the obstacles, Davis assembled a team that beat Florida State, the defending national champions, and the Virginia Tech Hokies, the bullies of the Big East The 2000 team should have played for the National Championship, but was denied, due to a glitch in the BCS formula. The scary part about the 2000 'Canes? They had the best receiver tandem in Miami history with Reggie Wayne and Santana Moss manning the perimeter. Did we mention that there was a young man named Andre Johnson attempting to break into the rotation?
6. 1989 National Champions
In Miami lore, every national championship team has a distinct identity, except one. The 1989 team wasn't groundbreaking like the 1983 team, or dominant like the 2001 team, it was an unlikely champion, a team that lost in the middle of the season to an FSU team that started the season 0-2. However, Dennis Erickson's first Miami squad had a unique attribute: They could step up and dominate elite teams when called upon. Notre Dame was the defending national champion, the 'Canes crushed the favored Irish in a pivotal game. The 'Canes went on to defeat SEC Champion Alabama in the USF&G Sugar Bowl, clinching Miami's third title of the decade.
7. 1983 National Champions
How can a team that is so beloved, be ranked in the bottom half of these rankings? The answer is simple, the 1983 team may have been historic, but they weren't nearly as dominant as the teams that succeeded them. Howard Schnellenberger's final season at the helm looked doomed at the outset, as freshman quarterback Bernie Kosar was shellacked by the Florida Gators, 28-3. Following that early defeat, the 'Canes went on to win their next ten regular season games, setting up a meeting with the top ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Orange Bowl. The 'Canes needed some help in order to be in position to win the title, and received it as Georgia defeated second ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl. The Orange Bowl was a nip and tuck affair with Miami using an advanced passing attack to take an early lead. The Huskers stormed back, and could have tied the game late, but chose to go for the win with a two point conversion. It may have been a courageous decision on the part of Tom Osborne to go for the win, but Nebraska's failed conversion signaled the birth of a Decade of Dominance.
8. 2002 Big East Champions
Miami has never had a repeat National Champion, this team came the closest to pulling off the feat, losing a heartbreaker to Ohio State in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. The 2002 team wasn't nearly as dominant as their predecessor, but they did manage to finish the regular season 12-0, with wins over Florida, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. This team had immense talent, led by returning stars Ken Dorsey, Jon Vilma and Andre Johnson. The 'Canes lost some greats from the previous year, but reloaded in a way that only Miami could. Ed Reed was replaced by Sean Taylor, Clinton Portis was replaced by Willis McGahee, and Jeremy Shockey was replaced by Kellen Winslow II. Like the 1986 team, this was an outstanding collection of talent, but couldn't win the big one in Tempe.
9. 1988 Runner Up
Another Jimmy Johnson team makes the list, and this team is the most underrated team of the Johnson Era. They didn't finish the season #1, in fact they are sandwiched between two teams that won titles(1987,1989) so it's easy to dismiss them as underachievers. That isn't anywhere near true, as this team came extremely close to being the middle of a Miami three-peat. Steve Walsh returned following his breakout '87 campaign, and led Miami to a 11-1 record, with the only blemish being a close loss in South Bend to eventual national champion Notre Dame. This was the height of the "Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime" 'Canes, as this team defeated four major conference champions during the season: Michigan(Big Ten), LSU(SEC), Arkansas(SWC), and Nebraska(Big 8).
10. 1992 Big East Champions
Coming off of a convincing national championship campaign, the 'Canes were primed to repeat. For most of the season, Miami dominated the opposition, rolling to another undefeated regular season, and was installed as heavy favorites in the national title game. It wasn't meant to be as Alabama defeated Miami in the USF&G Sugar Bowl, clinching their first National Title in thirteen years. Bowl loss aside, the 1992 'Canes were a talented group, led by Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta, and receiver Lamar Thomas. Miami was rarely challenged in 1992, playing in only four games in which the game was in doubt in the fourth quarter. The defense was spectacular, allowing twenty or more points four times the entire season.
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