Miami Hurricanes football is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!!!!!!!! And we’ve convened the SOTU crew to give some predictions on the season.

Here’s part 1 of our roundtable, where we focused on the offense:

Here’s part 2, where we took at good look at the defense:

And now, today, we’re going to get down to brass tacks and predict the record for the season. Away we go!

Call your shot: What’s your prediction for the W/L record for Miami this season?

Cam Underwood: If you’ve been following me and/or reading SOTU for any length of time (which I sincerely hope you have been), you’ll know that I’ve been among the most vocal and optimistic people regarding Miami you’ll find. The Canes have more talent than any team in the ACC not named Clemson. But they’ve routinely underachieved, done less with more than any team in the country over the last 15 years. And that includes many, MANY losses to teams they had no business losing to. Y’all know the list. And that’s why I’m not going to be that optimistic with my prediction this year.

There’s reasons to believe things will FINALLY be different, that Miami will finally play to the level of their talent and stop losing stupid games to inferior teams they have no business losing to, but the Canes are gonna have to prove it before I believe, or predict, it.

7-4. Prove me wrong, Canes. PLEASE prove me wrong.

Marshall Thomas: I’m torn between 9-2 and 8-3. The talent is there as it always is, but now Miami actually has a modern offensive coordinator calling the plays and utilizing this talent. Plus, when you look at the players the Canes have on defense, there’s no reason Miami shouldn’t win 9 games. I think Clemson is a loss, as well as Virginia Tech, and I could see a third loss coming to either Louisville or North Carolina.

Justin Dottavio: 9 wins versus 2 losses. I can see Miami losing to Clemson, because they’re Clemson. I can see Miami losing to UNC because of how good they really were in year one under Mack Brown. UNC has almost every important player from 2019 returning and a great coaching staff. But Miami can’t lose to UAB, Louisville, Wake, etc anymore. It’s time to turn the corner or to find a new coach. I’m sure Blake James can draw a new coach out of a hat: Blake Baker or Rhett Lashlee... who will it be?

Roman Marciante: 9-2 regular season. Losses to Clemson and another ACC team to be named later. Lousiville or VT would be my best guess. New offensive system will pay dividends this year. I can’t scream from the rooftops for seemingly a decade about going to a spread in Miami and not drink the Kool Aid now. I have watched countless hours of Rhett Lashlee’s offense and I get more excited every time I watch.

Stephan Cheatham: 10-1 - Miami’s weaknesses recently have been addressed on paper, with quarterback, offensive coaching hires and depth. Experience SHOULD take care of game calling and in game decision making. Again, Miami is more TALENTED than all opponents save one. The only remaining excuse is the Canes inability to respond to adversity, hitting losing streaks in each of its last 5 seasons. It’s time to abuse the next opponent after a loss and get over the hump of resiliency.

Carl Bleich: I wish we could permanently expunge the SOTU 2019 Season Prediction W/L Record from the internet. It was not the best showcase of prognostication for myself or my fellow SOTU contributors to say the least. I have learned my lesson and have tempered my expectations a bit for 2020. It would seem to me that 8-3 with losses to Clemson, North Carolina and Virginia Tech is a reasonable prediction. Clemson beats Notre Dame in the ACC championship game and the Hurricanes, Hokies and Tar Heels tie for third place in the ACC at 7-3.

Candis McLean: I’ll put us at 8-3 this year. I think the offense will be truly improved. I have our losses coming against Clemson, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. We all know the juggernaut that Clemson is and Mack Brown has UNC trending in the right direction. The Canes have have enough talent to compete with anyone on their schedule, but it’s year one and I’m tempering expectations all around. I think these three are simply the most logical losses on the schedule.

Jake Marcus: 9-2 regular season with the two losses coming at the hands of Clemson and Virginia Tech. UNC will also be a tough game but I’m going to give them the slight advantage there. If they only finish with 8 wins, it should basically be what is expected of them, and anything at 7 wins or below will be a massive disappointment.

John Reynolds: I’ve flipped back and forth between 7-4, 8-3, and 9-2 all offseason. My heart says 9-2, but my head says 7-4. I think the Hurricanes will struggle early in the year, and could start the season 2-2 with losses to a talented Louisville team and Clemson. Miami should get on a roll after that, but a trip to Virginia Tech and a tough home game against UNC could be too much to handle. 7-4 would probably be viewed as a disappointment by many, and it probably would be for me too, but it would all depend on how those losses came. If the program shows progress? It would be ok. If the Hurricanes play poorly in the losses? It might be time to ask some questions.

Robby Espin: I have Miami going 9-2 in 2020. Clemson is the consensus number one team in the country and is on a whole other level. I expect Miami to slip up in one of their ACC games, most likely VA Tech or UNC. The Canes have the talent to beat any team on their schedule not named Clemson. We know based on history that we tend to play down to our competition and I think that’ll happen and cost us big time in 2020. A 9-2 season would be a great success for Miami and would be a great sign of progress for the Hurricanes as a program.

So yeah. Those are our season record predictions. Share yours in the comments below.

Go Canes