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My 3 Biggest Goals For The Miami Hurricanes In 2020

Little over seven months before the season, never too early to start setting goals for the Canes

By marshthomas
NCAA Football: Miami at Florida State Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

We’re only a month into the offseason for the Miami Hurricanes, and currently sit at 222 days away from their 2020 opener against Temple, but it’s never too early to start setting goals for the upcoming season. From Manny Diaz to new OC Rhett Lashlee, you can tell the Canes are ready to kickoff again.

While there are literally dozens of goals the Canes need to set for 2020, especially coming off the disappointment of a 6-7 2019 season, these are the three that stick out the most to me.

  1. Beat FSU

I believe very strongly in the words once spoken by Mike Rumph, when he said, “Coming in as a Hurricane, you know your number one objective is to beat the Florida State Seminoles.” Yes there is Virginia Tech, yes there is UNC, yes we have goals to win a conference championship, but the first and number goal is to beat your rivals in Tallahassee. Head coach Manny Diaz said it himself, “You’ll always be asked what your record is against Florida State while you’re here at Miami.”

Well, so far, Diaz is 1-0 against the Seminoles as head coach, securing a 27-10 win over FSU this past November. That victory gave the Canes their third-straight win over the hated Noles, and another win in 2020 would give Miami the longest winning-streak over their rivals since they won six straight from 2000-2004.

FSU will be led by their new head coach, Mike Norvell, and on November 7th, the Seminoles will make the journey down to Miami to do battle with the Canes. In case you were wondering, the countdown to that game is 285 days. #BeatFSU

2. Win the ACC Coastal

If the Hurricanes want to get back on track and become a force in college football once again, they must start winning the ACC Coastal. Since joining the conference in 2004, Miami has claimed only one Coastal title (2017), while other schools like UNC and Virginia have reached the ACC Championship more often than UM.

2020 HAS to be the year the Canes right this ship, and assert the dominance that should’ve already been there for the last 15 seasons. While the Tar Heels looked to already be the very early favorites to capture the Coastal in 2020, Miami’s addition of quarterback D’Eriq King may change those predictions in the coming months.

Good news for the Canes, UNC will have to travel to Hard Rock Stadium on October 17th. That matchup, as well as Miami’s trip to Blacksburg to take on the Hokies in November, will most likely determine the Coastal title. With players like King, Brevin Jordan, Gregory Rousseau and several other playmakers, there’s no reason why Miami can’t win the division.

3. Reestablish A Winning Culture At UM

After going 13-13 the past two years, and watching the 2019 season end so miserably, with problems coming from every angle, the Hurricanes must show improvement in 2020. But it’s not just showing an improvement in wins, it’s going to be the act of transforming the culture inside this program.

The Miami Hurricanes can’t be known for losing to FIU and Duke, the days of mediocrity has to come to an end, and this 2020 season is going to tell us whether or not Manny Diaz can be the guy to lead UM back to where it should be. I’m not saying that the Hurricanes must make the College Football Playoff in order for Manny to keep his job, but a jump in wins and positivity coming from Coral Gables must be obtained. UM simply cannot go through another year like they did this past one. Enough is enough.