The 2026 Miami Hurricanes football schedule is starting to take shape, and we’ve got our first real glimpse of how the early season might unfold - and it includes a bit of a curveball.
Florida A&M dropped its 2026 schedule on Monday, and with it came confirmation that the Rattlers will head to Hard Rock Stadium for a Thursday night showdown with Miami on September 10. That’s Week 2 of the college football season, and it’s a notable wrinkle for the Hurricanes, who now find themselves playing under the lights on a short week.
Thursday night games are often reserved for matchups that can slide into prime-time TV windows without clashing with the Saturday slate. For Miami, this likely means they won’t be in the national spotlight during Week 1 - at least not in a marquee Labor Day slot. Instead, they’ll be waiting until later in the week to open their home schedule against a Florida A&M team that will be making a quick return trip to South Florida.
That’s right - FAMU is already scheduled to be in Miami just five days earlier, playing in the Orange Blossom Classic on September 5. So they’ll be back in town less than a week later to face the Hurricanes.
That’s a tight turnaround for the Rattlers, but it also presents a unique challenge for Miami. Even with a talent gap, the Canes can’t afford to sleepwalk through a short-week prep.
Whether the Hurricanes get a bye before or after remains to be seen, but Thursday games always test a team’s depth, focus, and preparation.
As for the rest of Miami’s non-conference slate in 2026, it’s already been mapped out. Back in October, the school announced it had canceled its home-and-home series with South Carolina and instead locked in three non-conference opponents: Florida A&M (home), Central Michigan (home), and Notre Dame (away).
We now know when two of those games will be played. Central Michigan is scheduled to visit Hard Rock Stadium on September 26, and the Hurricanes will travel to South Bend to face Notre Dame on November 7. That leaves a gap between Week 2 and Week 5, and it’ll be interesting to see how the ACC fills it in when the full conference schedule drops.
Speaking of the ACC, the league is set to unveil the full 2026 football schedule during a two-hour special on the ACC Network, starting at 6 p.m. ET. The first hour will also air on ESPN2, giving fans a national look at what’s ahead for the now 17-team conference.
And with that expansion comes a new scheduling model. Beginning in 2026, the ACC is shifting to a nine-game conference schedule for 12 of its 17 teams.
The other five will play eight conference games but must schedule at least two Power Four non-conference opponents. Miami falls into the nine-game group, meaning the Hurricanes will play a full ACC slate along with their three non-conference matchups.
The opponents are already locked in. Miami’s ACC home games in 2026 will be against Boston College, Duke, Florida State, Pitt, and Virginia Tech - a solid mix of traditional rivals and up-and-coming programs. On the road, the Hurricanes will face Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford, and Wake Forest - a travel-heavy lineup that includes a cross-country trip and two perennial ACC contenders.
So while we don’t yet have the full week-by-week breakdown, the structure is coming into focus. Miami’s 2026 campaign will feature two home non-conference games and one high-profile trip to Notre Dame, plus nine ACC matchups that include some heavyweight battles.
The biggest takeaway for now? Circle that Thursday, September 10 date. It’s not your typical Saturday start, but it’s officially the first locked-in game on Miami’s 2026 calendar - and it could set the tone for a season that’s already shaping up to be a grind.