The Miami Hurricanes are off to a roaring start to their 2026 campaign, rattling off five straight wins en route to an undefeated record and a No. 4 ranking in the country.
At the start of the season, the Hurricanes were criticised for devising an “easy” schedule, one that was expected to be a cakewalk on their path back to the College Football Playoff.
Despite Miami being ranked 69th in ESPN’s strength of schedule metric, the Hurricanes’ remaining schedule is proving to be more challenging than once expected.
The record of UM’s last seven opponents of the season are currently a combined 25-8, with three of the seven still undefeated.
As the Canes use their bye week to recover, it’s time to take a look at their upcoming schedule, see which games hold the most importance and what to look out for.
Highest priority: Nov. 7 at Notre Dame
This should come as no surprise to anyone. The highly-anticipated rematch of last year’s season opener is shaping up to be one of the biggest games of the year, often being cited as the best game on the loaded early-November slate.
The Fighting Irish have jumped out to a 5-0 start and are ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll, just one spot ahead of Miami. With last year’s game still in the back of its mind, Notre Dame has had to wait patiently to have a shot at redemption.
Notre Dame’s 27-24 loss to Miami in August last year ultimately kept the Irish out of the CFP and has stayed on its mind since.
“You look at those two teams on paper, and they’re almost equal in their schedule strength, their common opponents, the results against their common opponents,” CFP Committee Chair Hunter Yurachek said on Dec. 7, 2025, when Miami took the last playoff spot over Notre Dame. “But the one metric we had to fall back on, again, was the head-to-head.”
“With that in mind, we gave Miami the nod over Notre Dame into that 10 spot.”
Following the decision, Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua launched a series of complaints against the CFP selection committee and the ACC. The Irish then opted to “take their ball and go home,” choosing to not accept its invitation to the Pop-Tarts Bowl against BYU — a team ND will play on Oct. 17 — and ending its season.
The Nov. 7 rivalry between the Irish and the Canes will renew at 7:30 p.m. EST in South Bend, Ind.
Important games: Don’t sleep on these
Oct. 24 vs. No. 25 Pitt, Nov. 21 vs. VA Tech, Nov. 14 vs. Duke
Miami is currently 3-0 in conference play and is expected to continue its undefeated ACC record.
However, If it is unable to take down Notre Dame, the Hurricanes will probably need to win the conference in order to make the playoff.
Their best conference tests are Pitt, Virginia Tech and Duke. All three games will be played in Miami, but the Canes should be wary, as these three teams have a combined record of 13-1 and are more dangerous than they seem.
Pitt is currently ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll, and even with starting quarterback Mason Heintschel out for the season, the Panthers are vying for the top spot in the ACC.
Despite the heart-breaking loss to Pitt last week, the Hokies, under former Penn State coach James Franklin, are off to their best start to the year since 2017, the last time VT began a season 4-0. The annual matchup between former Big East foes has seen the Canes take eight of the last 10 and win six straight, but under a new head coach, anything can happen.
Quietly, the Blue Devils haven’t slowed down their momentum following their ACC Championship victory against Virginia and Sun Bowl win over Arizona State. Former Miami head coach Manny Diaz has Duke rolling, jumping out to a 4-0 record with a road win against Illinois.
Diaz will square off against his former program, and two of the players he coached in Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate. Miami’s homecoming game could be much more competitive than previously expected.
Anything can happen in a rivalry: Oct. 17 vs. FSU
Miami’s remaining games are expected to be routes in favor of the Canes.
However, of all of them, the Hurricanes need to be wary of the matchup with their arch rivals from Tallahassee. The Seminoles are 3-2 and have struggled to put together a complete performance against ranked teams. However, their biggest goal this season now becomes de-throning the Hurricanes.
Thirty-three of the 70 matchups in this storied rivalry, including five of the last nine, have ended in one-score games. In a rivalry game, anything can happen, and Miami needs to take this one seriously.
Hopes are sky-high for the “U” as the Hurricanes near the midpoint of the regular season. If they can keep up their momentum and play up to their potential, the sky really is the limit for these Canes.
Miami will return from the bye to face its in-state rivals Florida State on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Hard Rock Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:00 and will air on ESPN.
