With No. 10 Miami headed to SMU on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN), the one trend Mario Cristobal's team can't carry to Dallas is the periodic slow start. It showed up against Stanford and, more costly, in the loss to Louisville. When Miami starts on time, it looks like a College Football Playoff contender. When it doesn't, it invites trouble.
Miami vs Stanford, UF and Louisville
The Stanford tape is the freshest example of this. Miami was shut out in the first quarter and needed a 15-play drive inside the final 90 seconds of the half to pull even at 7-7.