The football Canes are off this week, so there is not much to report.

Former Canes TE Buck Ortega has been signed to the Miami Dolphins' practice squad, which is good news for him. The winless Dolphins are kind of like an NFL team.

Other than that, the only else to write about was that the Canes' basketball team had their annual media day on Thursday, and Coach Frank Haith brazenly predicted a top-six finish in the ACC.

The Canes are coming off an injury-plagued 12-20 season, 4-12 in the ACC. They also lost their point guard, Denis Clemente, to a transfer to Kansas State.

Clemente had been suspended prior to that, and his loss - while not UM's fault - is a big one. Basically, the Canes are set at every other position except point guard, where junior-college transfer Lance Hurdle and true freshman Edwin Rios will get their chances.

If Hurdle and/or Rios can play well and the Canes stay healthy, maybe Haith will be proven correct. But most national magazines have the Canes finishing anywhere from 10th to 12th in a 12-team league.

I will reserve judgment until I see them play in the Nov. 6 exhibition game vs. Barry.