Happy Monday, errrrrrbody. Hope your weeks have gotten off to a great start.
It’s been a minute for me on here. Went out West on vacation and had a heck of a time. Hit up western Colorado and eastern Utah. Mesa Verde, Moab, national parks, etc. Pretty damned nice weather and scenery.
And that trip got me thinking about something that I’m going to go off the beaten path here a little bit to start (but you all know my mind wanders randomly in this column from time to time, and, well, it’s the offseason),
which is……….
1) What are the road destinations/venues where you absolutely want to see Miami play?
As I was driving through the mountains, canyons, etc, I was floored at the scenery. And it reminded me of when I’d tune in late night to a game and see the gorgeous mountains behind LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo and think, “damn, I’d like to see that sometime.” Going out West reminded me of my wanderlust when it comes to football.
So, anyways, here’s my top five Miami road trips I would most like to take (both realistic and unrealistic):
5. Army – No, it will never happen. Yes, it would be incredible to see the Canes play inside Mitchie Stadium on the banks of the Hudson River.
4. BYU – Explained this one above.
3. UCLA – I really, really, really want to see a game in the Rose Bowl before I kick the bucket. If Miami ever goes back to the Rose Bowl for the game, I’ll pony up big time to go this time (was my first year at UM when they won it all there). And there’s a caveat here. If UCLA ditches the Rose Bowl for SoFi Stadium, which seems like a real possibility, drop this one off the list.
2. Washington – One of the most beautiful scenes in all of college football.
1. USC – This is a matchup I wish happened a lot more. I want to see the LA Coliseum and soak up the history there. Yes, it’s old. No, I don’t care. We loved the Orange Bowl, so I bet many other Miami fans really don’t care about that.
I’ve been to LSU, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Notre Dame, and many other notable venues. This is about the road trips and scenery. And you never know what you’ll end up loving. After all, the road trip to App State in 2016 is still in my top five trips of all time. No…really. It is.
2) I can’t believe the job that Mario Cristobal has done this year on the trail. What a class he’s putting together.
The latest pickup was North Miami Beach safety Andre Hyppolite, who committed to Miami over Florida and Georgia over the weekend. Miami is now up to 19 commitments, and as of last check, just about all of them had shut down their recruitment.
Truly incredible what Mario and company are doing right now. This is how programs are built, even in this NIL/transfer portal era. This is how success is sustained.
Go Canes!
