Miami's Skill Talent Is Elite. The Offensive Line Will Decide the Season.

Miami has the most explosive collection of skill talent in the ACC and one of the best in the country. Quarterback, running back, and receiver all grade near the top of FBS. The Hurricanes are projected to finish 9-3 and are favored in every game on the schedule. The reason they are not ranked even higher is a single fault line: the offensive line, which grades as the clear weak point on an otherwise loaded roster.

Weapons that can beat anyone

Start with the good, because there is a lot of it. Darian Mensah gives Miami quarterback play that rates among the nation's best. Mark Fletcher Jr. headlines a backfield that grades near the very top of the sport. The receiver room is elite. When Miami has time to operate, it can score with any team in the country, and Mario Cristobal, in his fifth year, has stocked the roster with the kind of talent the program expects.

The defense holds up its end. The line is stout, the linebacker play is strong, and the secondary is solid. Damon Wilson II gives the front a real pass rush off the edge. This is a top-five roster at most position groups.

The line is the season

Here is the catch, and it is a big one. Miami's offensive line grades at the bottom of the roster, well below every other unit. All the skill talent in the country does not matter if the quarterback is running for his life and the back is meeting defenders in the backfield. The Hurricanes return less than half of last year's production, so this is also a group with new pieces learning to fit together.

If the line holds up, Miami is a playoff team. If it does not, the elite weapons get neutralized, and a 9-3 projection can slide toward the middle of the conference in a hurry. Everything routes through the trench that grades worst.

A schedule that gives Miami a chance

The good news is the slate cooperates. Miami is favored in every game, with the only real tests coming on the road at Notre Dame, at home against Pittsburgh, and on the road at Clemson. None of those is a projected loss. That means the Hurricanes control their path to the ACC title game and, from there, the playoff.

The road date at Notre Dame is the closest thing to a coin flip, and it is exactly the kind of game where a shaky line gets exposed against a good front. Win the games they are favored in and steal that one, and Miami is playing in December.

Bottom line

Expect 9-3 and a spot near the top of the ACC, with a ceiling of much more. The skill talent is real enough to carry Miami into the playoff conversation. The offensive line is the one thing standing between this roster and its ceiling, and it will be tested early and often. Watch the trench, because that is where Miami's season lives.