Nov. 7 has been circled on every Miami and Notre Dame fan’s calendars since the college football schedule was released.
In under a week’s time, No. 1 Miami (8-0, 5-0 ACC) will face No. 4 Notre Dame (7-1) for what is set to be an electric matchup in South Bend, Ind.
The two programs have a history of bad blood, with the most recent chapter of the rivalry being played just last season at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami came away with the 27-24 victory in Week 1 of the 2025 college football season.
Little did the either team know that the winner of the game on Aug. 31, 2025, would get the last spot into the College Football Playoff. There was pandemonium in South Bend, seeing Miami’s logo flash across the television screen on Selection Sunday.
Now, Notre Dame will look to get revenge with late season playoff implications on the line.
Historically, Notre Dame leads the series 17-to-9. But Miami has won the last two matchups, both played at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami last traveled to South Bend in 2016 where it lost 30-27.
The Fighting Irish are coming off a 35-13 victory over the Navy Midshipmen. Notre Dame rushed for 204 yards on the ground as sophomore running back Nolan James Jr. had 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Quarterback CJ Carr had 210 passing yards and two touchdowns. Nine different receivers recorded a catch during the game.
Carr made his collegiate starting debut last year against Miami where he threw for 221 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
The junior has thrown for 1849 yards, 18 touchdowns, and one interception with a 66.7 percent completion percentage this season.
“Very accurate, gets himself in the right plays and understands where pressure is coming from,” said Miami head coach Mario Cristobal. “Extends plays, hurts you with his feet; he’s become a complete quarterback and arguably one of the best players in college football.”
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman had similar praise for one of Miami’s star players — Malachi Toney.
“He’s elite,” Freeman said. “He’s as good as anyone you’ll see.”
Notre Dame’s lone loss of the season came against BYU in Provo, Utah as the Cougars upset the Fighting Irish 28-24.
Not only does Miami have the chance to stay undefeated, but a win could once again decide if Notre Dame makes the playoff.
Notre Dame has the fifth-highest scoring offense in the country at 40.4 points per game. Miami’s defense will face a tall task after having a tough performance against North Carolina.
The Hurricanes defeated the Tar Heels 38-35 on Halloween, but allowed quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. to throw for 341 yards and four touchdowns.
In two of its last three games, Miami has allowed its opponents to score 35 points.
The Hurricanes’ pass rush has struggled over the past few games. Missouri transfer defensive lineman Damon Wilson II has logged 41 pass-rush snaps over the last two games, with just one tackle and no quarterback pressures. The highly touted transfer will look to bounce back this weekend.
Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman aims to regroup his defense to its early season form.
“It’s things that we have to coach better, things that we have to execute better,” Cristobal said. “But we have done it before, and always every ounce of effort is poured in a self-assessment, improving and getting better.”
This will be Miami quarterback Darian Mensah’s biggest test this season, and a chance for him to have a signature moment donning the orange and green.
Mensah, the current Heisman Trophy front runner, has the best completion percentage in the nation (80.7%). UM has the most prolific scoring offense, averaging 47.6 points per game. And Mensah gets to throw the ball to another Heisman candidate in the sophomore wideout Toney.
Last game, Toney had seven catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore already has 1,027 receiving yards on the season.
If Toney is heavily guarded, Mensah could opt to feed Cooper Barkate more. Barkate and Mensah had a great connection last year at Duke, but Barkate has loomed in the shadows of Toney this season.
The Fighting Irish’s defense is led by cornerback Leonard Moore. Moore did not play against Navy but head coach Marcus Freeman expects him to be available to play on Saturday. The junior was named to the 2026 Associated Press Midseason All-American First Team.
For the first time this year, Miami will be the underdog even as the No. 1 team in the country.
Cristobal and the Hurricanes are ready for the challenge.
“Great college atmosphere, preparation to the max, every bit of it,” he said. “Understanding that, again, tremendous opportunity, tremendous challenge.”
A new chapter in this historic rivalry is set to be written Saturday, Nov. 7. Kick-off at Notre Dame Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. EST and will air on NBC.
For the Notre Dame perspective, head over to The Observer, the Fighting Irish’s student-ran newspaper.
