Analyzing Miami’s 2026 schedule: Is Notre Dame UM’s toughest opponent? Who could upset Hurricanes?

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The Hurricanes’ 2026 schedule was released on Monday evening, and the upcoming season should be interesting.

Miami will play seven home games and five road games in 2026, opening the season with a true road game for just the second time since 2015. Nine of its games will be against ACC opponents as the conference moves to an expanded league schedule.

Here is a look at how the Hurricanes’ matchups look at first glance:

Which game is the toughest?

at Notre Dame, Nov. 7

The Hurricanes have a rematch with the Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana, on Nov. 7. Unlike last year, the meeting comes in the last month of the regular season instead of the opening week.

Both teams have playoff aspirations in 2026, with Notre Dame returning stars like C.J. Carr (who made his starting debut against UM last season) and Leonard Moore. And the Fighting Irish will surely want revenge over the Hurricanes, whose win last August ultimately catapulted Miami into the playoffs over Notre Dame at the last second.

The Notre Dame Stadium crowd will surely be energized as the Hurricanes go to South Bend for the first time since 2016. UM has not won at Notre Dame since 1984. It will be a potentially season-defining matchup.

Which game is a potential trap?

at Wake Forest, Sept. 18

Miami opens the year with a road trip against Stanford, a team that struggled last year and will be debuting first-time head coach Tavita Pritchard. The Hurricanes will likely be big favorites in that game, even though it’s a long road trip on a weeknight. UM plays its home opener the following week against FCS Florida A&M.

But for the Hurricanes’ third game of the season, they go back on the road to face Jake Dickert and the Demon Deacons. In his first year as Wake Forest’s head coach, Dickert led his team to a 9-4 record with upset wins over SMU and Virginia, which were two of the ACC’s top teams last year.

Wake Forest lost key players like running back Demond Claiborne (NFL draft) and offensive lineman Melvin Siani (transfer to LSU), but the Demon Deacons also added former UNC quarterback Gio Lopez and former UM wide receiver Ny Carr. Dickert has shown at Washington State and now at Wake Forest that he can get a lot out of his teams. It could be a tricky game for Miami.

The Narrative Bowl

vs. Duke, Nov. 14

The Blue Devils were already tied to the Hurricanes due to their head coach, Manny Diaz, who was Mario Cristobal’s predecessor at Miami. Diaz is 0-1 vs. UM as the Blue Devils’ head coach, falling to Miami in 2024.

Duke edged out UM for a spot in the 2025 ACC title game — which the Blue Devils won in an upset against Virginia — which may have helped the Hurricanes make the playoff field; the selection committee was unlikely to pick a five-loss Duke despite the conference championship, so if the committee did not pick UM, the ACC would not have had a representative in the playoffs. Diaz even advocated for the Hurricanes to make the field.

But Miami is poised to poach Duke quarterback Darian Mensah from the Blue Devils after the university and Mensah were engaged in a legal battle over whether Mensah could transfer (a settlement was announced on Tuesday). Mensah’s likely transfer to Miami will make this November showdown all the more tense.

Toughest stretch

Weeks 7-11

When Miami returns from its sole bye week, its first task will be facing Florida State at home. The Seminoles struggled to a 5-7 record last year, and the Hurricanes won 28-23 in Tallahassee. UM has a two-game winning streak against its biggest rival. Florida State had the No. 14 high school recruiting class and the No. 26 portal class, according to 247Sports, as it looks to bounce back.

After facing FSU, the Hurricanes host Pittsburgh. The Panthers had a solid year last year and discovered standout quarterback Mason Heintschel after former starter Eli Holstein got hurt. Heintschel is back after helping Pitt notch the No. 20 offense in the nation. UM dismantled the Panthers on the road in 2025, but Pittsburgh should be solid.

After those two home games, Miami goes on the road to face UNC. The Tar Heels struggled in their first season under Bill Belichick. Whether UNC gets better in Year 2 is an open question, but Miami has struggled in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, lately. Miami has lost three consecutive games at Kenan Stadium and has a five-game losing streak against North Carolina.

The Hurricanes then play two tough games in a row against Notre Dame and Duke to close out the stretch that could define the season.

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