We’re back with another week of the SB Nation and State of the U Fan Pule Top 25 rankings. Here is what the national picture looks like:

Most of the top teams stayed up top. Alabama-LSU being 1-2 is interesting. Their upcoming game (in a couple weeks) will be at 3:30pm Eastern not 8pm because CBS got first pick for SEC games in November or something. Wisconsin, Michigan, and a couple other teams lost so they dropped down in the rankings, or out completely. Fully undertandable.

<HEAVY SIGH>

Now, let’s get to the Orange and Green elephant in the room: the failings of the Miami Hurricanes. First, let’s just get this week’s SOTU Fan Pulse top 25 out of the way because that’s not really the point of this piece (or our season, it seems).

State of the U illustration by Mike Meredith

Now, let’s get down to business.

With last week’s horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad, season wrecking, absolutely unacceptable, fully disgusting 28-21 (OT) loss to a previously 1-5 Georgia Tech team that hadn’t covered a spread all year, let alone beat an FBS team (and HOME LOSS to FCS’s The Citadel), the Miami Hurricanes 2019 season is effectively over. There will be no ACC Coastal Division championship. There will be no appearance in the ACC Championship game. At this point, there might not even be a BOWL game at all.

So, where does that leave us? In terms of confidence of the fanbase, it’s near the bottom of the country (which I’m sure snarkier fans would say it should be.....and I’d agree). After a strong uptick after beating then-20th ranked Virginia, things have TANKED this week — much like the season — after losing to Georgia Tech. Just take a look:

If you thought things were bad when Miami found a way to lose to Virginia Tech, whew buddy, do I have news for you! Then, the confidence poll went down to 26.2%. After last week’s loss to Georgia Tech, the confidence poll plummeted all the way down to 13.2%. NEARLY HALF OF WHAT THE PREVIOUS LOW CONFIDENCE NUMBER WAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only teams with lower confidence are Ole Miss (12.5%), Florida State (12.8%).....and Rutgers (0.0%). So, think of any other team. Any of them. Their fans have them in higher esteem at this point of the year than Canes fans do for Manny Diaz’s Miami.

Cool. Cool cool cool.

Miami has gone from Manny Diaz proclaiming that the Canes can challenge for the College Football Playoff THIS YEAR and telling a room full of boosters “kids can come to Miami and compete for championships or go to another school and get your butt whooped by Miami” to calling the Canes — the most talented team in the Coastal Division BY FAR with a schedule tailor-made for 10+ wins — a “rebuild”.

It’s hard for me to think of any scenario under which this season can be classified as a success. Miami has already lost 4 games in which they were tied or leading in the 4th quarter of the game. There have only been four teams to do that 5 times in a season EVER. I know the optimistic slant is “hey, we’re close!” But, for me, it’s “we’re close to winning BUT KEEP FINDING WAYS TO LOSE. Which, I admit, is pessimistic, but Miami is 3-4 and 1-3 in the ACC. It’s pessimism time when referencing this season.

Are you among the 13.2% of fans who are confident in the direction of the program? Or, are you, like me, among the 86.8% who are not?

Go Canes