Four weeks into the season, the easy storyline around Miami has started to crack.
At the start of the year, the Hurricanes’ schedule looked soft. That was the preseason read.
But after a month of games, the picture has changed fast. The combined record of Miami’s remaining opponents after Week 4 is 26-5, which is a lot sturdier than the “weak schedule” label suggests.
Some of the early results are aging well for the Hurricanes, too. Wake Forest’s 33-20 win looks better by the week, and the Demon Deacons’ night-game success last season adds more weight to that result. A Louisville win that pushed Ole Miss to the limit also helps Miami’s case in the long run.
There are still a few games that could end up looking like softer spots - North Carolina, Florida State even with the rivalry built in, and Boston College. But most of what remains is not filler. Miami is staring at a stretch of teams that will be fighting for one of the two spots in the ACC Championship Game.
That includes Notre Dame, a game that could have College Football Playoff bye implications. It also includes Pitt, which has one of the best quarterbacks in the country; Duke, which rebuilt after Miami took Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate; and Virginia Tech, which has already shown higher quality with James Franklin in charge.
This weekend brings Clemson for the Hurricanes, while Pitt and Virginia Tech meet in a matchup that stands out for another reason entirely. It will be the first 4-0 vs. 4-0 non-ranked matchup in college football for any Power Four conference.
As one post noted: "I just looked it up... it has never happened.Virginia Tech-Pitt will be the first matchup in the history of modern college football to feature two unranked, 4-0 major conference teams.It has only happened three times in ANY Division I game ever. https://t.co/5SRm81cekk"
So yes, the narrative around Miami’s schedule keeps hanging around. Some voters have even left the Hurricanes off AP ballots completely, while Missouri stays ranked. But the broader point remains the same: the ACC slate is proving tougher than it looked in August, and Miami still has to keep moving week by week.
As offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson said, "we'll count those chips up at the end of the year."
In Other News...
Miami Injury Report Just Raised Clemson's Biggest Game Week Question
Miamis first injury report ahead of Clemson offered a useful early snapshot of where the Hurricanes stand entering one of their biggest games of the season. Mario Cristobal said several players who have missed time recently are trending toward returning, and that matters for a roster still trying to get back to full strength at the right moment. The added depth should help Miami on both sides of the ball as the stakes rise and the margin for error shrinks.
The most watched name on the report is cornerback Lucas, who is listed as questionable but is making progress toward a return. For Miami, his status is the kind of late-week detail that can shape how the defense approaches Clemson, especially against a team that will test every available matchup. The Hurricanes have reason for optimism with the overall health picture improving, but the final answer on Lucas still leaves one of the weeks biggest questions hanging. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Heads To Clemson With A Chance To Change The ACC Order
For much of the last decade, the ACC has run through Clemson, with the Tigers stacking conference championships, national titles and a reputation as the leagues standard-bearer. Miami, meanwhile, has spent years trying to climb back into that conversation, and under Mario Cristobal the Hurricanes have started to look more like a program ready to make the jump from promising to relevant again.
Now they head to Clemson with a chance to turn that progress into something bigger than one win. Miami has been more competitive in the series lately, including a recent victory, and this trip offers a real measuring stick for where the Hurricanes stand in the conference pecking order. If Miami can follow through in a game like this, the ACC hierarchy could start to look a lot different. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Heads To Clemson With Depth Suddenly Under Pressure
Miamis trip to Clemson is arriving with the kind of injury uncertainty that can quickly reshape a game plan. The Atlantic Coast Conferences first availability report lists several Hurricanes already ruled out, including tight ends Luka Gilbert and Owen Ruskavich, running back CharMar Brown and cornerbacks Romanas Frederique Jr. and JaBoree Antoine, a mix of absences that touches both the skill spots and the secondary.
The larger concern is how much more of the depth chart could still be in flux by kickoff. Cornerback Xavier Lucas and linebacker Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. are among the players tagged questionable, with game-time decisions expected, leaving Miami to manage a short week of preparation while waiting on final answers. For a road game at Clemson, where every available body matters, the uncertainty could end up being as important as the matchup itself. [Read more 🡒]