Before Ohio State trip, Shannon takes a field trip
NCAA Football Betting Lines
09/08/2010 -
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -When No. 12 Miami visits No. 2 Ohio State in a long-hyped matchup this Saturday, the Hurricanes know they won't see many friendly faces in the stands.
Maybe that's why Miami coach Randy Shannon surrounded himself with a roomful of backers Tuesday.
Making an unusual addition to his regimented game-week schedule - considering this might be the biggest matchup of his tenure with the Hurricanes - Shannon took a few hours to mingle with and then address 100 lunching boosters, most of whom wore either suits and ties or some sort of Miami-themed attire.
``I think this is unbelievable,'' Shannon told the group. ``I think this is the first time in a long time we've had this kind of support.''
Football coaches tend to have just about every minute plotted during game weeks, especially when it's a game that might end up carrying championship implications.
Shannon isn't really an exception to that rule. So it was surprising to see the coach in a gray suit and blue shirt at the front of a dining room, taking questions for about 30 minutes and spending probably twice that much time simply milling about and shaking a few hands.
Despite his insistence otherwise, maybe Shannon does think meeting Ohio State is a big deal after all.
``That's what we came here for, the big games, the spotlight,'' running back Damien Berry said. ``That's why we're at 'The U,' right? It's most definitely one of the highlight games of the season.''
Shannon was relaxed, laughing, smiling, emotions he doesn't always show when he's at work and hardly ever shows to fans who watch him on gamedays. He didn't make big news, other than revealing quarterback Jacory Harris ``injured'' - a word the coach rarely uses - his thumb against North Carolina last year and dealt with more pain in the last three games of 2009 than the team ever acknowledged.
Other than that, Shannon told the boosters what they wanted to hear: Miami is getting closer to championship form. Shannon didn't make any grandiose predictions for the game, or the season either, but told fans some of the reasons why the Hurricanes feel confident heading into a game that could vault them back into the national spotlight.
``A game like this, you've got to take it in stride,'' Shannon said. ``We've been there before.''
And shortly after he was done, his car pulled up alongside the restaurant, Shannon hopped in and headed back to work in Coral Gables, maybe 45 minutes away with traffic.
When it was over, Shannon was clearly happy he found the time in his schedule for the rare get-together.
``Anytime I can be around what I call my friends, or associates, it's great,'' Shannon said. ``I was saying this earlier: Anytime you can be around somebody who's passionate for the University of Miami, that's what it's all about. And to come out and enjoy things like that, that is my typical day.''
Within reason, of course.
If he stayed and answered every question everyone in the room had for him, Shannon might have missed Friday's flight to Ohio.
``It's no different for me this week,'' Shannon said before his appearance. ``It's just like me going to the grocery store. That's how I have to treat it. Yeah, people know who I am. They speak, I speak back and I keep going. There can't be a deal where I speak for 30 minutes with this person, 15 more with that person and so on. I think people respect that. I've got things I've got to get done.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
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