The ACC’s preseason poll was exquisite. Six teams got first-place votes … in the Coastal Division. Three received at least a vote in the Atlantic. Miami was picked to finish second behind North Carolina in the Coastal. The 191 voting members of the media did a pretty good job, because the final standings aren’t too far off. But Miami, which is deeply talented, as well as very young, did finish in second place in the division. We’re about one offseason away from folks breathlessly reporting “Miami. Is. Back.” We might be there already if the Hurricanes had beaten Notre Dame this season!

But the eventuality is one reason Mark Richt is back at his alma mater.

“I think everybody wants to be great,” said Richt, who spent the previous 15 years in charge at Georgia. “I think a lot of guys came to Miami because of the football tradition that has been established there. It’s part of the reason why I’m back. I’m back partially because it’s my alma mater, but more than that, it’s a team and a place that history has proven that you can be great there.

“So, it means a lot to us, and we want to be who we are. We’re not trying to be somebody from the past, but I think what we are striving for is excellence in everything we do. If we do that in all areas as coaches, players, administrators and everybody, then we’ll be as prominent as we have been in the past.”

The Mountaineers and their head coach, who were picked seventh in the preseason poll and finished with the second-best Big 12 record and today stand on the cusp of an 11-win season, sound similarly inspired.