Alabama Football: Canes making big mistake opening with Crimson Tide

Alabama Football: Miami Hurricanes are looking to restore national status after years of mediocre results. Opening with the Tide is not the way to do it.

Alabama Football opens the 2021 season is its friendly home away from home; Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Alabama Crimson Tide has had so much success in Atlanta, the home of the Atlanta Falcons is frequently called Bryant-Denny East. The Crimson Tide is 6-0 at the stadium going back to the venue’s first college football game in 2017.

Alabama Football also has an unblemished record of 6-0 in Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games going back to the 2008 season. Not many coaches, looking for a statement win, would want to battle that history. Current Miami Hurricanes Head Coach, Manny Diaz has no choice.

Diaz had nothing to do with scheduling the game. Mark Richt made the decision and coming off a 10-3 season in 2017, Richt’s optimism appeared justified. The three seasons since have been rough on Miami fans. The one-time national powerhouse was 13-13 in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Diaz has them moving in the right direction with an 8-3 record last season. There is optimism around the program and some national, college football experts are predicting the Canes will contend for the ACC Coastal Division.

Assuming by late August,  QB, D’Eriq King is fully recovered from a December ACL injury, the Canes will field a load of experience against the Tide. With King in the lineup, Miami will return 88 percent of its passing yards and 99 percent of its rushing yards from last season. The offensive line returns starters and most of the top receivers are back. The Canes could provide a challenge for a young-ish Alabama football secondary.

The Miami defense needs to improve, so Diaz is taking over the play-calling for the unit. Before becoming a head coach, he was a highly rated Defensive Coordinator. The Canes D will be boosted at cornerback with the transfer of Tyrique Stevenson from Georgia.

Diaz and the Canes have a big problem though. With a preseason to prepare and a healthy roster, Nick Saban’s teams are virtually unstoppable in season openers. Going back to the 2008 season, Saban’s Crimson Tide teams have had 10 high-profile openers. The Tide outscored the 10 opponents 388-128. Many of the games were over long before the third quarter ended, as the Tide coasted to easy victories. Some of the opposing coaches in the paths of those Tide teams had their reputations damaged. At least one can be said as having his career destroyed.

Maybe the 2021 opener will be different. The Canes and Manny Diaz have to hope it will be.