The Miami Hurricanes have done everything right in this 4-0 start.
They played nearly flawless against Notre Dame. They tuned up against Bethune-Cookman. They then whooped on South Florida and Florida Gators.
And now comes the national love. According to the Crain & Co. podcast, the `Canes are the best team in college football.
"I think you could make the argument that they're the best team in the country," said Jake Crain, a former college football assistant. "That's the Miami Hurricanes."
After Saturday's dismantling of the Gators, the Hurricanes moved to No. 2 in the rankings. They have a bye week before facing the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee.
"The thing that impresses me about Miami, when you watch Miami play, dammit it looks like they know what they're doing," Crain said. "And they play complementary football. They look like a complete team."
Crain is also high on quarterback Carson Beck. In the offseason, Beck made a high-profile transfer from Georgia. He has put himself in the Heisman Trophy conversation after an impressive start. He has completed 82 of 112 passes for 972 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
"And say what you want about Carson Beck looking like Sid The Slot or whatever. "If you give old buddy time in the pocket, he is going to carve you up like a Thanksgiving turkey. I'm talking carved, shredded, sauteed, fileted, tenderized, whatever."
The `Canes to keep the momentum going the Seminoles to have any chance of reaching the glory days when they won five national championships. It has been 24 years since the last one when the Hurricanes put together one of the most dominant teams in college football history.
Miami hasn't been ranked this high since 2017 when Mark Richt was the coach. That season ended with disappointment. They lost the final three games, including a blowout loss to Clemson in the ACC title game and a defeat against Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl.
It appears this `Canes team may be different. Coach Mario Cristobal has UM clicking in every phase. They have one of the best defensive lines in the country and wide receiver unit is starting to come into its own.
This could be finally the year the UM program can say it's back in national-championship contention. First, they have to avoid disappointment against the `Noles next week.
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of MiamiRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com