After a tug-of-war in the first half, No. 8 Miami (4-0) pulled away in the second half and notched a 50-15 win over upstart USF (2-2), which has proven its mettle in closely fought games against both UM and Alabama. The Hurricanes are 6-1 all-time against the Bulls.

After years of false starts and false hope ending in Miami mediocrity, it’s time to take the No. 8 Hurricanes seriously. Not just as the ACC favorites. Not just as contenders to make the expanded College Football Playoff.

Meanwhile, left tackle Jalen Rivers and defensive end Rueben Bain Jr., neither of whom has played since UM’s season-opener at Florida, were in street clothes, signaling they’ll most likely be out for a third consecutive game.

USF faces the Miami Hurricanes at home and has a chance to pull off a season-defining upset. Why it matters: USF has only three wins against top-10 teams in its football program's history. Adding a fourth against No.