No. 5 Miami travels to Wake Forest on Friday night with the most absurd statistical profile in college football, and almost nobody outside South Florida is talking about it.
The Hurricanes have won their first two games by an average margin of 55 points. They have scored 122 points. Their quarterback has completed more than 91 percent of his passes.
That last number deserves a second look.
Darian Mensah Has Been Close To Perfect
Mensah has thrown for 653 yards with eight touchdowns and zero turnovers. Half of those scores have gone to wide receiver Malachi Toney, who is turning into the kind of go-to target that changes how defenses have to align.
A completion rate above 91 percent is not sustainable, and nobody should pretend otherwise. What is sustainable is the decision-making underneath it. Eight touchdowns with no interceptions and no fumbles lost across two games says a quarterback who is taking what is available rather than forcing the highlight.
The Schedule Caveat Is Fair
Blowing out two overmatched opponents proves you are supposed to blow out overmatched opponents. Miami has not faced a defense that could challenge the timing of this passing game.
Wake Forest is not that test either, honestly. But it is a road game, at night, on ESPN, against an ACC opponent with nothing to lose. Those are the games where undefeated teams with inflated point differentials get uncomfortable in the second quarter.
Why Friday Night Matters More Than The Opponent
The College Football Playoff committee does not weight style points the way fans think it does, but it absolutely notices teams that stop covering spreads against inferior opponents. Miami’s résumé is currently built entirely on margin.
If the Hurricanes win 45-10, they stay in the national conversation as a team nobody wants to draw. If they win 24-21, the conversation becomes about whether the first two weeks meant anything at all.
The Rest Of Friday’s Slate
Miami is not the only ranked team playing. No. 22 Houston visits No. 13 Texas Tech at 8 p.m. on FOX in the better matchup on paper, and Portland State goes to No. 21 Oregon at 10:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network.
Texas Tech and Houston is the game with actual playoff implications for both sides. Miami is the game with the most watchable offense.
The Prediction
Miami covers comfortably. Mensah’s completion percentage drops into the high 70s, which is still elite, and Toney gets his.
The Hurricanes are for real. The proof is not coming Friday night, and it is not coming for a few more weeks, but a quarterback playing this cleanly with a receiver this dangerous is a problem opponents will not solve by scheme alone.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.