Miami's 77-7 Rout Indicts FCS Buy Games — SkimNews
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- Miami set an ACC record with 856 total yards in a 77-7 win over Florida A&M as a 59.5-point favorite, even after both teams agreed to shorten the fourth quarter to 10 minutes; the Hurricanes also set a school record with 42 first downs.
- Florida A&M earned $720,000 plus $40,000 for its band (per the Tallahassee Democrat) while arriving on three days' rest minus its top QB and starting center from a Sunday loss to South Carolina State; the Rattlers finished with just 4 first downs, the first modern-era FBS game with a 40-plus first-down gap per Sports Reference.
- Mario Cristobal defended running up the score as roster development: "You really can't look at the clock and the scoreboard" — Miami rotated three QBs, six RBs, 16 pass-catchers, and 26 defensive contributors deep into the second half.
- Cristobal and Florida A&M coach Quinn Gray had a terse postgame exchange after Miami refused to take a knee at 77-7 with under a minute left — third-string QB Dereon Coleman handed to Jack Whitehouse for 26 more yards, breaking Louisville's 2016 ACC total-yards mark of 845.
- The buy-game model is increasingly risky for ACC and Big 12 CFP contenders because the selection committee's "record strength" metric punishes wins over bad teams; Miami's only currently ranked opponent is No. 3 Notre Dame on Nov. 7, leaving a two-loss 'Canes team little résumé cushion without that win.
Why it matters: For ACC and Big 12 contenders chasing CFP bids, every FCS buy game is a résumé drag the selection committee's new "record strength" metric now punishes harder than ever — Miami's only scheduled ranked opponent is No. 3 Notre Dame on Nov. 7, so a single slip beyond that game could leave a two-loss 'Canes team outside the playoff cut line even with an ACC title game appearance.
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