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Category 5 Hurricanes

Miami's run may be most impressive in history

Posted: Friday January 03, 2003 3:34 PM
  Tim Layden - Viewpoint

Miami should beat Ohio State Friday night in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship. Not because Ohio State isn't good. And not because Maurice Clarett is torn between getting juiced to play against the Hurricanes or against Buckeyes athletic director Andy Geiger. In fact, Ohio State is a talented, resourceful team. But Miami is better. Not tons better, but better. And the 'Canes have been here before. Most-likely scenario: An even game is decided by a couple of big plays -- Ken Dorsey to Andre Johnson for one, Willis McGahee to the house for another. Or maybe a turnover from the Miami defense. Something like that.

And when it's finished, Miami will be in possession of a 35-game winning streak. (Even if the Hurricanes lose, they still ran off 34 in a row, to which you can apply almost all of the praise that follows.) The streak is staggering, arguably the most impressive run in the history of college football (keep reading).

• Day at a Glance: The best BCS bowl
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• Donovan: 'Canes have class
• Mandel: Opposite traditions attract
• Close Calls: OSU, Miami's nailbiters
• The Streak: Miami's historic run
• Marquee Matchup: Ohio State-Miami
• Complete Bowl Coverage
As a sports culture, we are inured to numbers, simply because we see so many statistics every day. We hear about a streak and we think, Everything is a streak. Hitting, shooting, scoring, tackling. Too much arithmetic. As a result, a good, old-fashioned winning streak like Miami's is both overpublicized and sanitized at the same time.

Let's apply some reality. First, look at the five teams that have won 35 or more consecutive games:

  • Oklahoma. Bud Wilkinson's incredible Sooners won 47 straight, the NCAA record, from 1953-'57. This is one of the most storied dynasties in the history of college football (and the subject of a new book by The Junction Boys author Jim Dent), and deservedly so. But Wilkinson played by ancient recruiting rules that allowed him to stockpile dozens of players every year, maintaining Oklahoma's depth by preventing players from signing with other schools. Current NCAA rules that limit scholarships to 85 per school (which is plenty, by the way) and unregulated television coverage brings legitimacy to every program.

  • Washington. The Huskies won 39 in a row between 1908 and 1914. It's a terrific run, but it came in the dark ages of college football and averages out to less than six wins per season.

  • Yale. Two 37-game streaks, from 1887-89 and 1890-93. This is even further in the dark ages, when few colleges played football and the Ivies were king.

  • Toledo. Its 35-game streak from 1969-71 is genuine. But the Rockets played mid-major football, which is just not the same.

    Miami's streak has unfolded as college football moves glacially toward a mild form of parity. Understand: College football will never be like the NFL, where the phrase "any given Sunday" is actually true. But scholarship limitations and television exposure have sprinkled playmakers through Division I-A. If a power program has an off week, it can lose. If it slips in a bigger way, like Nebraska this season, it can fall precipitously. Gone are the days when 9-2 was considered a bad year.

    Now consider the Miami program itself. Sure, it's located at the epicenter of high school football talent; that's a huge advantage that Howard Schnellenberger first seized upon to win Miami's first national title in 1983. But the Hurricanes' streak was just 10 games old when Butch Davis bailed and went to the Cleveland Browns, leaving the program in the hands of untested Larry Coker. Miami has held together for Coker under major duress.

    What's more, the streak has been full of close calls. In 2000 Dorsey brought the 'Canes from behind in the fourth quarter to beat No. 1 Florida State. Last year they sweated out a 26-24 win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. This season they needed Wide Right III to survive against Florida State, a big fourth quarter against Rutgers, and a barely missed end-zone connection on a Thursday night at Pittsburgh.

    Great teams win close games. Dynasties win close games year after year.

    It is remarkable to consider that if Miami beats Ohio State Friday night and wins out next season, it will break Oklahoma's record. That's a long way from happening, especially considering Dorsey's graduation. But the very fact that such things can be discussed measures the breadth of what Miami has done.

    Sports Illustrated senior writer Tim Layden is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.


     
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