For all the buzz around Miami’s national title hopes, the real question on the schedule is simpler: which team outside of Notre Dame has the best shot to knock the Hurricanes off track?
No. 7 Miami is drawing plenty of attention with ESPN slotting its strength of schedule at No. 45, and the Nov. 7 showdown with No.
5 Notre Dame looks like the one game that could hand both teams a loss. Beyond that, the Hurricanes are set up to avoid Louisville, Georgia Tech and SMU in ACC play until a possible championship meeting.
That doesn’t mean the path is clean. If there’s a non-Notre Dame game that should have Miami looking twice, it’s the Saturday, Sept. 26 home matchup with Central Michigan at 6:30 p.m.
ET. The reigning ACC champions will be coming to Miami Gardens, and the timing makes it dangerous: it arrives after what could be a massive battle with the Fighting Irish.
That kind of emotional hangover is exactly where a team can get caught.
There’s also a bit of personal motivation floating around that game. Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate will be trying to quiet their old team on their new home field, which only adds to the edge of the matchup.
Still, the more obvious danger may come later. After the Duke game, Miami gets a look at what the source calls James Franklin’s biggest sleeping giant: Virginia Tech.
The Hokies are bringing back the same defense, with former head coach Brent Pry retained, and that continuity should make the transition easier for the players who stayed. The offense is the bigger unknown, but there’s real talent there.
Ethan Grunkemeyer, who followed Franklin from Penn State, is described as a strong starting quarterback, and Virginia Tech also has one of the better offensive lines in the conference.
That sets up a tough test for Miami’s defensive front, which should have the chance to control the game but could also be put on alert.
Then there’s Clemson, and that trip to Death Valley always carries a different kind of threat. Dabo Swinney can never be dismissed, and an early road game there opens the door for something strange to happen against the Hurricanes.
The Tigers also bring a résumé that makes them easy to overlook only at your own risk: they won the ACC Championship the year before by beating SMU in a thriller, and they enter with no expectations. That, the source notes, can be the most dangerous kind of team.
Clemson has a dynamic offense and some of the best defensive tackles in the country. That combination is enough to make Miami uneasy, even with all the confidence surrounding this season.
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For Cristobal, this is about more than convenience. Friday night football is woven into the culture of Miami-Dade County, and he sees it as something that should not have to compete with the college game for attention. He wants a setup that lets both levels of football coexist, but for now the Hurricanes are still stuck dealing with a schedule that leaves one of the areas biggest weekly traditions in a difficult spot. [Read more 🡒]
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Garcia is now preparing to lead his fifth college football program, a number that says as much about modern movement as it does about his own journey. His stop in South Florida never produced much traction, and the broader arc of his career has become a familiar one for Miami supporters who watched promising quarterback talent arrive with expectations and leave before the story ever fully settled. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Freshmen Face A Huge Second Scrimmage For Bigger Roles
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For Miami, the appeal goes beyond novelty. The program has seen freshmen step in and help before, so the staff is clearly watching to see which of these players can handle bigger roles without a long runway. Wingo and Congdon are among the names to monitor as camp tightens up, and this next scrimmage should offer a better read on who is ready to make the leap from promising newcomer to part of the weekly plan. [Read more 🡒]