Miami fans get a full day of football on Saturday before the Hurricanes take the field at North Carolina, and Week 9 offers a little bit of everything: ACC separation games, a look-ahead to next week’s biggest showdown, and a cross-country test for a national title contender that has not exactly looked comfortable in that No. 2 spot.
The ACC board deserves the first glance because it could help sort out the conference’s upper tier.
No. 19 SMU opens the day at Syracuse at noon on ESPN2, and the Mustangs are stepping into a road game that could matter even more if they keep stacking wins over the next few weeks.
Their stretch after this includes Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Notre Dame, and if they handle business, the Nov. 14 meeting with Wake Forest could end up deciding one half of the ACC Championship Game. That said, SMU has not always been steady away from home, and this will be just its third road game of the season.
Later on, Virginia visits No. 14 Wake Forest at 3:45 p.m. on ESPN2, and that matchup says plenty about where the ACC pecking order stands right now.
The Cavaliers have dropped three of their last four and are not the same team they were a year ago. Wake Forest, meanwhile, looks like the league’s second-best team and has been rolling since its loss to Miami.
A rematch with the Hurricanes in Charlotte feels a lot more realistic now, and the Demon Deacons have earned a spot on the radar the rest of the way.
There’s also a set of national games that Miami fans will be keeping a close eye on, starting with No. 5 Notre Dame against Navy at noon on ABC.
The reason is obvious: Miami and Notre Dame meet next week in the biggest game on the Hurricanes’ schedule. Navy has not been its usual problem-making self this year, so the Irish should handle business and turn the page toward that heavyweight matchup.
At 3:30 p.m. on ABC, No. 17 Florida faces No.
3 Georgia in a game that has a little more life around it after recent results. Not long ago, the idea of Florida and Miami meeting in the College Football Playoff felt very real, then the Gators stumbled for a couple of weeks.
Their win over Texas changed the mood, and if they bring that same level against Georgia, that potential Gators-Hurricanes playoff matchup is back on the table.
Then comes the nightcap: No. 2 Ohio State at USC at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
That ranking has not felt especially secure all season, and the Buckeyes are heading west with a pair of backup quarterbacks trying to protect it. USC, for its part, has become a familiar face on NBC - this is the fifth straight week the Trojans have appeared on the network and their sixth time overall.
At this point, maybe they should just bring back the Notre Dame rivalry.
In Other News...
Mario Cristobal Finds Himself In Another ACC Flashpoint After Miami Rout
Sundays blowout left Miami with more than a lopsided result to celebrate, because the postgame handshakes briefly became part of the conversation too. Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi used his Monday news conference to address the speculation surrounding his exchange with Mario Cristobal, and he insisted the moment was cordial rather than confrontational.
Narduzzi said he told Cristobal to go win the national championship, a notably warm message for a matchup that had already carried some offseason edge. There had been prior tension tied to transfer portal recruiting accusations, but Narduzzi framed this latest flashpoint as friendly and moved on, even if the optics made it look like another ACC subplot Miami will have to keep answering for. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Must Be Ready For UNCs Biggest Passing Threats
North Carolina comes into its matchup with No. 1 Miami at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the ACC, but the Tar Heels still carry enough passing firepower to demand attention. Under coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, the offense has been built around quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. and a pair of reliable targets in wide receiver Jordan Shipp and tight end Jelani Thurman, giving UNC a clear identity even as the results have been uneven.
Shipp leads the Tar Heels in receptions and yards, Thurman tops the team in receiving touchdowns, and Edwards has started every game while putting up notable passing numbers. For Miami, the challenge is not just slowing one threat but accounting for several routes of attack, especially if UNC can get its passing game moving early and force the Hurricanes to defend the full field. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Faces A Chapel Hill Test That Keeps Haunting The Hurricanes
Miamis unbeaten start now runs into a familiar roadblock: a prime-time trip to Chapel Hill, where North Carolina has long been a troublesome opponent for the Hurricanes. The matchup brings together two programs with plenty of recent history, and the past meetings have not been kind to Miami when the game has been on UNCs turf. A look back at the series shows why this one carries extra weight, especially after the Tar Heels recent win over the Hurricanes in 2023 and another major victory in 2020.
Bill Belichick enters the game in his second year guiding North Carolina, adding another layer of intrigue to a matchup that already has enough edge. Miami, meanwhile, is trying to protect its perfect record under Mario Cristobal while shaking off the memories of those previous Chapel Hill trips. The Hurricanes have played well enough to get here, but the setting and the opponent make this feel like more than just another conference game, with the history in North Carolina still waiting to be answered. [Read more 🡒]