With Miami in the early window for the first time this season, the rest of the day opens up nicely once the new No. 1 team finishes with Pitt. That leaves plenty of football to watch as attention starts shifting toward the College Football Playoff and the first rankings, which arrive on the first Tuesday in November.
The weekend slate has a little bit of everything: a few ACC games that matter to Miami fans, several ranked matchups with upset potential, and one especially tricky trip for No. 2 BYU after its wild win over Notre Dame.
Miami fans should keep a close eye on three ACC games.
Duke at Virginia on Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN is a rematch of the 2025 ADC Championship Game, though the sequel loses some shine because neither team is likely to get anywhere near Charlotte this season unless it ends up in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Still, Duke is on Miami’s schedule soon, and Nate Sheppard is a heck of a player, so there are enough reasons to tune in.
Virginia Tech visits Clemson on Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN in a game that should tell us plenty about James Franklin’s Hokies. This is the kind of road test that can show whether Virginia Tech is for real, especially against a Clemson team that can be decent at times but doesn’t have much explosiveness on offense. The Hokies might still be a year away from being a true contender, but a win in Death Valley would be another sign they’re headed in the right direction.
Syracuse at North Carolina on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ACCN is another one worth watching because Miami will be in Chapel Hill on Halloween, and there’s still plenty to sort out with the Tar Heels. Bill Belichick’s team would move to 5-2 with a win, and it’s good enough to be a nuisance for a Miami offense that still has questions to answer. North Carolina deserves a close look because it may be more dangerous than it looks.
Beyond the ACC, there are a handful of ranked games that could shape the national picture.
No. 18 LSU travels to Auburn at noon on ABC.
No. 11 Tennessee goes to South Carolina at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.
No. 15 Iowa plays at Minnesota at 3:30 p.m. on FS1.
No. 16 USC heads to Wisconsin at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
With several CFP bubble teams on the road, these games all have a way of connecting back to the bigger race. At least one of those ranked teams is going to lose Saturday, and Tennessee feels especially vulnerable after such an emotional win over Alabama.
Iowa and Minnesota also made the list for a simpler reason: Floyd of Rosedale. It’s a trophy of a pig, and there’s something about high-level athletes fighting over a pig trophy that captures college football at its best.
Then there’s No. 2 BYU at UCF at 3:30 p.m. on FOX, the one game that could make the afternoon really interesting.
The Cougars are coming off that huge win over Notre Dame, but now they have to go two time zones away and deal with a UCF team playing at home in front of a loud crowd with nothing to lose. BYU should survive, but this has the feel of a real test, and it’s worth watching once Miami is done with Pitt.
In Other News...
Belichick's North Carolina Suddenly Has A Massive Chance Against No. 1 Miami
Miamis trip to North Carolina on Oct. 31 suddenly looks like one of the most intriguing games left on the schedule. The Hurricanes are still unbeaten at 6-0 and coming off a double-overtime win over Florida State, but they now have a short turnaround before a matchup with a Tar Heels team that has quietly put together a 5-1 start under Bill Belichick.
North Carolina also brings a history of giving Miami trouble, which adds another layer to a game already carrying plenty of weight in the race for the top spot. Miami still has Pitt on deck after that, and the Panthers arrive off a loss to Boston College, so the Hurricanes are staring at a stretch that could say plenty about how long they can stay at No. 1. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon State May Already Have A New Portal Problem In Corvallis
College footballs transfer market keeps reshaping depth charts well before a season even gets underway, and Miami has already seen how quickly one addition can change a room. With 21 transfers from the class of 2026 making an early imprint across the sport, the Hurricanes are part of a larger wave of programs benefiting from players who arrived and immediately started producing, whether it was on defense, in the backfield or in key rotational roles.
Oregon State is one of the teams feeling the ripple effect in Corvallis, where the portal has already become both a source of opportunity and a looming challenge. The Beavers are among the programs watching their new arrivals turn into real building blocks, but the broader lesson is clear for Miami and everyone else paying attention: when transfers start delivering interceptions, rushing yards and disruptive defensive snaps right away, the program that found them can look smart one week and vulnerable the next. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Exposed A Miami Problem Pitt Will Be Watching
Miami escaped Florida State with a double-overtime win, but the game also put a spotlight on a defense that had to hang on far longer than it would have liked. The Seminoles piled up a season-high 35 points against Miami, pressed the Hurricanes with nearly two Hail Mary completions and turned a rivalry night into a stress test for Corey Hethermans unit. Even with the victory preserved by Bryce Fitzgeralds controversial interception after review, there were enough breakdowns and close calls to give the defense plenty to sort through.
For Miami, the bigger concern is how those issues might travel into the next matchup, especially against a Pitt team that will be studying every vulnerable spot. Hetherman and linebacker Chase Smith both pointed to the problems the Hurricanes had with screen passes and the late-game chaos that nearly flipped the outcome. Miami got the result it wanted, but the tape left behind a clear reminder that surviving one wild finish is not the same thing as cleaning up the problems that caused it. [Read more 🡒]