Clemson Football: 3 Takeaways from ACC Championship Game win over Miami

2. The Hurricanes aren’t elite, yet

Miami made a statement when they crushed Notre Dame 41-8 at Hard Rock Field. After more than a decade removed from the national spot light the Hurricanes had built something special in Miami.

Things have looked shaky since that win. Miami trailed at halftime to Virginia at home the following week before a road trip to Pitt proved to be catastrophic. They were beaten on both sides of the ball. Starting quarterback Malik Rosier was benched. This team looked lost and confused, not like a championship contender.

Elite teams win in November. All the games leading up to the final week of the season are window dressing. Big wins early in the season can help a team jockey towards the front of the pack, but it’s the wins down the stretch that separate the contenders from the rest. Miami just hasn’t looked like a contender since the spotlight started shining the brightest.

There will be some that say Miami’s entire 2017 season was a sham. That would be an overreactions to a few bad weeks. No, there are plenty of aspects of this team that are extremely impressive and bode well for the future. The turnover chain and this young, aggressive defense are here to stay. A better word for Miami would be almost. The Hurricanes are almost back.