STATE OF THE U 2020: Where does UM stand in college football landscape?

It seems like we ask this simple question every year: as we embark on our annual State of The U series analyzing every aspect of the Miami Hurricanes football program -- When will The U be back?

Since 2003 there has only been one 10-win season at Miami. That was in 2017.

It has been a once-unthinkable slide, where many times you may have thought you had hit rock bottom only to find there's somewhere lower to go.

Two years ago, for instance, fans thought the bottom came in the form of five losses in the final seven games including a 35-3 bowl thrashing at the hands of Wisconsin.

Then came the 6-7 season of 2019 which included stunning losses to FIU and Louisiana Tech.

It's sort of like the stock market with some companies ... they go down to half their high, you buy, then watch helplessly as the stock slides another 20 percent.

That is what has took place in Coral Gables last year.

But if the Canes were a Dow Jones Industrial-traded company, you might have cause to pound the tables and suggest now is the time to buy.

Things certainly can't get worse than 2019, can they?

We're certainly far past panic selling after observing the moves of Manny Diaz over the past five months..

So far past that we're actually feeling something promising with a new season hopefully just over two months away.

That is called "hope."

A coach that in January had almost everyone not named Blake suggesting he was over-matched and calling for his head responded by keeping his head down and remaining focused on what he needed to do to give himself a chance to do better. The King of the off-season struck again and Manny Diaz found some Kool-Aid that justifiably has Cane fans smiling.

That concoction has several key ingredients including key transfers in quarterback D'Eriq King, defensive end Quincy Roche, offensive tackle Jarrid Williams and kicker Jose Borregales. The drink then went in the shaker with a new offensive staff headed by coordinator, Rhett Lashlee, who has a proven record implementing an up-tempo spread offense that fans openly pined for. Also in the mix: A recruiting class that just entered top 10 status with the commitment of Miami Northwestern receiver Romello Brinson, an astounding achievement considering the depths of despair this program faced when the season wrapped up the night of Dec. 26.

Yes, out of that despair has come hope even if there still are many miles left to go.

And a lot of hope also fueled by what is widely viewed as an extremely favorable schedule.

Sure the coronavirus has thrown things for a loop and it could have a bigger effect on UM's offense than others around the country that return the same coordinator, given that Lashlee wasn't able to do his full installs on the field in March. But Lashlee has said that he has put together a simple playbook that's easy to understand, so maybe there's a workaround.

Anyway, here we are in the summer of 2020, once again examining The State of The U with a 18-part series that will run from today through mid-July.

In this series we attempt to be blatantly objective about what we see in every nook and cranny of the program.

Every recruiting class that composes the 2020 team.

Every position.

Every variable.

You will get our analysis in rapid-fire succession.

We will break down those recruiting classes.

We will look at the biggest on-field question.

We will take a look at the impact Miami's facilities expansion is having on the program and recruiting.

We will examine the current roster position by position.

And then we will pull it all together with a final analysis of where the program stands as the 2020 season approaches.

We will ask for your opinions on the CaneSport.com message boards.

By the time we are finished, you should have a very good idea of the challenges facing the program, why there's room for optimism but also some reason to fear another year of underachievement.

Can there be a quick fix?

How long will it take for Miami to be in playoff contention again?

Will that ever happen?

We'll lay the roster bare and give a look at why there are some deficiencies at certain spots and how the Canes have tried to patch things together this off-season.

We know the offense has weapons at running back, tight end and receiver. But will the offensive line woes again rear their ugly head or will the acquisition of Williams solve those problems? On defense can one of the best defensive end groups in the nation help make up for a lack of experience at linebacker and major question marks at cornerback?

Are King and Lashlee the answer to a stagnant offense?

Does it all fall apart if King is banged up?

Could it even be as simple a fix as a new kicker for a team that lost five games by a TD or less a year ago and went for numerous fourth downs instead of fields goals?

There are still plenty of questions to be answered. And perhaps this season more than any in recent memory will be a turning point. A turning point because success means Diaz has hit on something and can keep on trucking forward with his plan ... while failure means Diaz is likely on his way out as soon as Miami can afford yet another major shakeup.

So what is the bottom line for success and failure?

Success, to us, means nine or more wins.

Failure would be anything less than that.

The program is in some respects at a crossroad.

So are you buying or are you selling?

Perhaps the biggest reason to "buy": The schedule.

There just aren't a lot of teams that you look at on there and say "Miami won't be in that one." Or possibly favored just about every week.

Probably the toughest games will be North Carolina (the team most pick to challenge UM for the Coastal title), Virginia Tech and Florida State. The UNC and FSU games are at home, with the Hokies on the road. We shared our early thoughts on the toughest Coastal game here.

UNC has a top QB, Sam Howell, but the defense lost a lot of pieces. The Hokies have been up-and-down. And FSU, as we all know, has its issues. Another opponent worth mentioning: Michigan State, which when this game was first announced seemed like a tough potential out. But with the recent shakeup at that program, players have transferred out and it appears that game won't be as difficult as once thought.

Many will point to the "easy" games Miami lost a year ago and say a road trip to East Lansing or any other game can't be taken for granted.

And that's a very fair point.

You can also say Temple and all the other games on the schedule other than Wagner and UAB will be dogfights. And when you are life and death to win every week, you are going to win some and lose some.

One thing we are happy about: There has been no more talk of that "The New Miami" stuff that dominated last year's off-season. This year, there is more action than talk. Diaz and everyone in the program have been more focused on the task at hand, not perception on social media.

Give out rewards after wins,.

Go out and play football.

In Year 2 of Diaz, the D will stay the same and the offense will shake things up. And maybe the offense isn't really that far away from averaging 35-plus points.

The QB play is really what has held the group back, and King has shown what he can do with his arms and legs (just look back to his 50 TD campaign at Houston in 2018).

Jarren Williams, N'Kosi Perry and Malik Rosier simply were not answers at the most important position the last few years. They could not get the team consistently down the field, were off target on far too many passes. The O line was a factor in that, no doubt, but King's quickness and Lashlee's offensive style should help offset that.

The recent offenses seemed too complex for players ... but were simple for opponents to defend.

So now Lashlee will try to do what he did last year at SMU - install an up-tempo spread where players aren't thinking so much as simply playing.

Heck, it worked there so why not here?

In 2019, SMU averaged 41.8 points and 489.8 yards.

Miami?

25.7 points and 367.2 yards.

Better offense can make a huge difference.

A lot of talent appears to be in Coral Gables. Maybe not elite talent. But good talent.

Now maybe the system to best take advantage of it is here.

And with a defense that should still be plenty good enough even with the losses of the top two linebackers and shutdown corner, that might be enough to get a shot at Clemson (most likely) at the end of the season.

The bottom line? This team has some question marks ... and potential as well.

In the days ahead this series will lay those out clearly to help paint the full picture.

In some areas Miami is starting to look like what Miami should look like, what it has proven multiple times it can be.

Just not in all of them quite yet.