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Fact or Fiction: Miami is in big trouble

National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.

TAKE TWO: Can Georgia flip Tank Bigsby from Auburn?

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1. Florida helped itself the most in recruiting this weekend.

Dan Mullen
Dan Mullen (AP Images)

Farrell’s take: FACT. The Gators' win over Auburn was obviously nationally televised and the atmosphere at The Swamp could be seen on TV and in person for all the recruits in attendance. Florida sent a message to the recruiting world that it is a legit national title contender and a power in the SEC with the win and, as usual, the fan base was awesome. I can’t think of a better show for recruits this past weekend.

Gorney’s take: FICTION. There is no question Florida had a lot of elite players on campus for the Auburn win and it was a tremendous atmosphere, but I’m going to give Ohio State the edge for this question. Four-star quarterback CJ Stroud was in attendance even before getting an offer and he could end up as one of the best QBs in this class. Plus, the Buckeyes had a bunch of top 2021 prospects at the game they have to love how Ohio State is playing. A big win over Michigan State and a chance to see coach Ryan Day moving this program in an even more elite direction, that’s really impressive.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH FLORIDA FANS AT GATORSTERRITORY.COM

2. Miami is in big trouble.

Manny Diaz
Manny Diaz (AP Images)

Farrell’s take: FACT.Quarterback Jarren Williams is not the solution, N’Kosi Perry looked solid but he’s proven he’s not the answer either and Tate Martell is apparently never going to be a full-time quarterback again. A 42-35 home loss, albeit an exciting one, to a Virginia Tech team coming off a bad loss to Duke, is a bad sign. The defense, thought to be the strength of the team, looked horrible. There don’t seem to be many great skill players as has been a recent trend and recruiting will only take a hit this year with a poor season. It’s early for Manny Diaz and his staff but things don’t look great.

Gorney’s take: FACT. I would echo a lot of the things said above but I just can’t believe that Miami looked so unprepared and so bad early in this game as Williams threw three interceptions so quickly and he only had seven attempts before being replaced. Virginia Tech took full advantage of those turnovers and went up 28-0 midway through the second quarter. I appreciate Miami’s attempt at a comeback and that showed heart but the Hokies are a mess and made Miami look even worse. The Hurricanes have so much talent all over the field but especially at wide receiver and nobody is really doing all that much. It’s disappointing to see.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH MIAMI FANS AT CANESPORT.COM

3. Michigan is back.

Farrell’s take: FICTION. The win over Iowa was a good one and the defense looked really good, but the offensive problems continue and I don’t see a solution coming anytime soon. If the defense can’t win them games, Michigan will continue to have an average season and won’t come close to Ohio State or Penn State.

Gorney’s take: FICTION. I watched the entire Iowa-Michigan game and I honestly don’t know what I saw. Was it an unbelievably good defensive effort by the Wolverines that held Iowa to one rushing yard on 30 attempts - or were those numbers so impressive because Iowa QB Nate Stanley is so immobile it pained me to watch him try to even move around in the pocket? Did I see Michigan strike early and then know it didn’t have to do much on offense against a Hawkeyes team that struggled to meaningfully move the ball or was the Wolverines’ defense just that good?

My conclusion is this: Michigan’s defense is very, very talented but the offense is still robotic, doesn’t look at all different from last season and doesn’t stress the defense downfield at all. If Michigan plays like it did Saturday, I see at least three losses ahead with Penn State, Notre Dame and Ohio State still on the schedule.

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