The 2000 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami as a member of the Big East Conference during the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by Butch Davis in his sixth and final season as head coach, the Hurricanes compiled an overall record of 11âÂÂ1 with a mark of 7âÂÂ0 in conference play, winning the Big East title. Miami was invited to the Sugar Bowl, where the Hurricanes defeated Florida. The team played home games at the Miami Orange Bowl in Miami.
The lowest-point of the season was the second game loss at the Washington Huskies. This was the game that ultimately cost Miami a chance to play in the BCS National championship game.
Memorable games in the 2000 season included beating top ranked FSU for the first time since 1992 in the "Wide Right 2" game. In the game, FSU had a chance to tie the game on last second field goal. Miami CB Mike Rumph sprinted off the line untouched and came within 1 foot of blocking the kick, causing the FSU kicker to adjust and kicking the field goal "Wide Right". This was the third game in the Miami/FSU rivalry where FSU had missed a game ending field goal "Wide Right". Up to this point, this was the most important win in the Butch Davis-coached Miami U teams, proving that Miami could beat a #1 ranked team again.
Another highlight of the 2000 season was beating second-ranked Virginia Tech, led by an injured Michael Vick.
The 2000 Miami Hurricance finished the season by soundly beating the University of Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
Despite beating the Number 1/2 ranked football teams during the 2000 season and losing only 1 game, the BCS computer model (which chose the two finalists for the NCAA college football season) did not select the University of Miami to play in the National Championship Game, which some fans and analysts thought was a flaw in the BCS.
During the week of the Sugar Bowl, University of Miami and University of Florida football teams engaged in an infamous street fight in New Orleans, dubbed the "Bourbon Street Brawl". Up to 25 players engaged in a street brawl on Bourbon Street with the New Orleans Police being called to break up the fight. Several University of Florida football players showed signs of the fight with bruises on their faces in PR leading up to the game. No arrests were made.
After the Sugar bowl, head coach Butch Davis accepted the head coaching position for the NFL Cleveland Browns.
With their core 2000 roster intact, including Heisman candidates Ken Dorsey and Clinton Portis, Miami would start the 2001 season ranked Number 1. The 2000 team was featured in the ESPN 30 for 30 documentaries, "U part 2," and in, "U Reloaded".