Next coach will need help in making Miami a winner again

Miami solved part of its problem Sunday, and that was firing coach Al Golden.

But he wasn't the Hurricanes' entire problem.

This is a program that always was at its best when it lived on the edge, when games at the rickety old Orange Bowl rocked South Florida. Now game day at Sun Life Stadium is as antiseptic as a trip to the dentist and just as enjoyable.

Miami paid Golden $2.5 million per year. An eye-opening figure until you consider that ranked 42nd among Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches. A storied program like Miami must up its pay if it wants to attract top-line coaches. And the Hurricanes must find a way to get out of Sun Life, which is about 45 minutes away, and build their own stadium much closer to campus. A 50,000-seat stadium could bring back the old feelings that made Miami a national power.

Golden was part of the problem, though. He recruited well, but the actual coaching came up short. No excuse not to get more victories out of talent he attracted.

That will be someone else's responsibility. Whoever that person winds up being, though, shouldn't be expected to do it by himself.

LV BOWL UPDATE — The Las Vegas Bowl pits the first choice of the Mountain West or Brigham Young against the sixth selection of the Pac-12 Conference on Dec. 19 at Sam Boyd Stadium. Executive director John Saccenti on the game's current picture: "Who would have guessed that the only remaining undefeated teams in their respective league play would be Stanford in the Pac-12 and San Diego State in the Mountain West? In the MW, we have Boise State already bowl-eligible in the Mountain Division, but Utah State's win over the Broncos has everything up in the air as there is a three-way tie for first place that includes Air Force. Also already bowl-eligible is independent BYU at 6-2, and the Cougars are still in play for our game. The Pac-12 is full of talented teams that made national noise in September but are now beating up on each other in conference play. That means not much is being decided at this point as far as bowl slots, but it also makes it exciting for our committee to be following so many programs that are still a possibility for us in December."

AROUND THE NATION — Baylor's chances of winning a national championship took a major hit with the season-ending neck injury suffered by quarterback Seth Russell. Incoming freshman Jarrett Stidham has the difficult job of replacing Russell. … George O'Leary, who retired Sunday as Central Florida's coach, will be paid at least $200,000 annually through 2020 and will be required to work no more than 12 hours a year as a "special liaison," according to documents obtained by USA Today. O'Leary also agreed two years ago to step down following this season, but that information wasn't released until Monday. … Judy MacLeod was hired as Conference USA's commissioner, the first woman to head an FBS league. She was Tulsa's athletic director.

AROUND THE MOUNTAIN WEST — The West Division is the weaker side, but now the strongest team in the conference is in the West. San Diego State (5-3, 4-0 MW) routed Utah State 48-14 on Friday. Just a week before, Utah State beat Boise State 52-26. … Boise State left offensive tackle Rees Odhiambo will undergo surgery today after breaking his ankle Saturday against Wyoming, the Idaho Statesman reported. Right tackle Mario Yakoo might miss Saturday's game at UNLV because of an undisclosed injury. He will be a game-time decision, as will linebacker Tanner Vallejo, whose injury also wasn't announced. … Hawaii averages 17 points per game, which ranks 122nd of 127 teams nationally.

MY FINAL FOUR — I vote in the Sweet 16 Poll organized by the Football Writers Association of America and the National Football Foundation. Here is my top four:

1. Baylor. Now it's up to a freshman to carry the Bears.

2. Ohio State. Will be tough to beat the Buckeyes with J.T. Barrett at quarterback.

3. Texas Christian. After playing West Virginia on Thursday, the Horned Frogs end the regular season by facing ranked teams in three of the final four weeks.

4. Louisiana State. The Tigers have a week off before a showdown with Alabama.

HEISMAN ODDS — Handicapper Bruce Marshall (goldsheet.com) provides Heisman Trophy odds each week:

Leonard Fournette, LSU 4-5

Trevone Boykin, TCU 5-2

Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State 6-1

Deshaun Watson, Clemson 8-1

Christian McCaffrey, Stanford 10-1

— Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65. He is first vice president of the Football Writers Association of America.