Canesfan Satisfaction Meter: 80.4% (season high); plus Duke-led UM routs Va-Tech 30-6; also NFL Week 8 pix, Heat & more

1) It is SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25. In The Previous Blogpost (ITPB): Analyzing Dolphins playoff chances, SOPY rankings, NFL Pix 'n Fantasy, World Series & more. 2) Follow us on Twitter @gregcote. Also Facebook, Instagram and Vine.

Find our UM-Virginia Tech gameblog and postgame comments directly below the new CSM poll.

CANESFAN SATISFACTION METER: G8: Results are in on the latest Canesfan Satisfaction Meter postgame poll, and they show 80.4 percent overall satisfaction -- a season high -- in the wake of Thursday night's 30-6 victory at Virginia Tech putting UM's season record at 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC. The CSM, in its sixth season, is your invitation after every Hurricanes game to vote on your overall satisfaction with the team and season in a continuing weekly gauge of how UM football fans are feeling. Criteria for voting is your own, but I suggest you consider the most recent game's performance and caliber of opponent, season as a whole, program's direction and your overall degree of optimism -- all in the context of reasonable expectations. Results are certified official the morning after one full day of voting. In this case that was around 9 a.m. today/Saturday.

2014 CSM results

G1: 6.7% (following 31-13 loss at Louisville) 

G2: 35.9% (following 41-7 victory vs. Florida A&M)

G3: 71.8% (following 41-20 victory vs. Arkansas State)

G4: 11.6% (following 41-31 loss at Nebraska)

G5: 73.3% (following 22-10 victory vs. Duke)

G6: 3.3% (following 28-17 loss at Georgia Tech)

G7: 29.6% (following 55-34 victory vs. Cincinnati)

G8: 80.4% (following 30-6 victory at Virginia Tech)

Next poll: Nov. 1 (following game vs. North Carolina)

G8: HURRICANES @ VIRGINIA TECH: DUKE-LED UM IMPRESSIVELY WINS FIRST ROAD GAME: Final: Miami's never-in-doubt 30-6 rout at Virginia Tech was all about the double-D: Duke and defense. Duke Johnson had 249 of the Canes' 366 rushing yards, while The U's defense held Va-tech to 242 total yards and pitched a shutout until the Hokies finally scored with less than two minutes left. Miami now 5-3 and still alive for the ACC Coastal title. Big, big road win. ..... Halftime: UM's 24-0 domination in a word? Duke! Duke Johnson has 148 yards rushing including a 29-yard scoring run, and 37 more yards receiving including a 22-yard scoring catch. And Miami's oft-criticized defense has held Va-Tech to 36 net yards of offense. A complete a-- whuppin' in Blacksburg thus far.  ..... Original post: Both old rivals are 4-3 overall and 1-2 in ACC play, and only the winner of this 8 p.m. game will stay alive for the conference's Coastal Division title. More realistically, both teams should probably be thinking more about getting bowl-eligible than about getting into the ACC championship game. The betting line -- UM favored by 3 points -- seems odd at first, because Miami is 0-3 on the road this year and has lost the past three meetings in Blacksburg. Va-Tech has been a bit of a nemesis for the Canes, so a home-'dog upset would hardly surprise. I get why UM is favored, though. The Hokies are missing their top tackler on defense, and offensively don't have much of a ground game to take advantage of The U's defensive vulnerability. Brad Kaaya, Duke Johnson and Phillip Dorsett bring too much on the attack for the homies to outscore. By the way, remember how embarrassing Miami's home crowd was in the Cincinnati game and all that talk about how those things hurt recruiting? Small home crowds don't hurt recruiting nearly as much as winning on Thursday night on ESPN can help recruiting. This is a big-stage game. That's another reason why tonight is so important for Al Golden and UM. My pick: Hurricanes, 34-23.

Other Collball Week 9 state FBS games:

No. 23 Marshall 35, FAU 16: Uh oh, Owls. At least you kept the margin under 30. Call it a moral victory.

Also: Cincinnati def. South Florida 34-17 on Friday; and UCF def. Temple 34-14. Off this week: FIU, Florida, No. 2 Florida State.

NFL WEEK 8 PICKS: SURVIVING THE JAX "TRAP": Mixed start Thursday night as I had Broncos winning but was wrong thinking Chargers would cover. Click on Week 8 Gems for all the rest of our latest prediction capsules. Dolphins face "trap" game at lowly Jacksonville but I think they'll be alright. Colts lose at Pittsburgh in our Upset of the Week ("Aawwk!"). Click on State of Despair for my Friday Page NFL column. It's on how Miami is closer than Jacksonville or Tampa Bay to trending upward, but how that's faint praise as all three state teams try to end playoff droughts.

OMINOUS TREND FOR HEAT: Interesting results for Heat in ESPN's annual rank of NBA players. Ominously, only three of Miami's top-10-rated guys show a higher ranking than a year earlier. The top 10: 1. Chris Bosh (20th overall, +4), pictured signaling, "I'm No. 20!"; 2. Dwyane Wade (36th, -18); 3. Luol Deng (58th, -12); 4. Josh McRoberts (117th, +217); 5. Mario Chalmers (153rd, -31); 6. Chris Andersen (166th, -11); 7. Danny Granger (225th, -156); 8. Norris Cole (226th, +9); 9. Udonis Haslem (307th, -92); 10. Shabazz Napier (309th, rookie).

MARLINS FAN HAUNTS WORLD SERIES: Fun story today by our Clark Spencer on "Marlins Man," the Miami fan in the bright orange Marlins jersey who is front and center and all over TV during this World Series (amid a sea of blue Royals jerseys). Click here to read. 

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