Miami’s undefeated football team is ranked No. 1 in the nation, but still faces social media criticism for fans not showing up to Hard Rock Stadium on game days. So why aren’t students showing up to support the top-ranked team in the country?
October is a jam-packed month for University of Miami students. In addition to football season, III Points Music Festival and Fantasy Fest also capture students’ attention, and this year both fell on game days.
A post from @cfbsaturdaydaily on Instagram calling out UM students for not showing up to the Pittsburgh game on Oct. 24 received more than 8K likes.
“Despite the Hurricanes holding the nation’s top ranking, noticeable sections of empty seats could be seen throughout the stadium,” the caption read.
A news outlet, Saturday Down South, also criticized Miami fans for not showing up to the game versus Pittsburgh. Polymarket reporter Emma Vance posted scenes of Hard Rock Stadium’s empty seats on social media.
“Why are the stands so empty for the No. 1 team in college football?” Vance wrote on Oct. 24 on X.
But these outlets don’t mention that, the weekend of Oct. 23–25, many undergraduates were three hours away in Key West celebrating Fantasy Fest, a University of Miami tradition.
Students call it “the great migration” when thousands attend the festival from Friday through Sunday, so students were not around to go to Hard Rock for the football game.
An Instagram post from @redcup.miami featured a screenshot of someone’s Snapchat map showing a packed route down to the Keys.
Hotel prices in the Keys are higher the later students wait to book, so many people book hotels and plan transportation over the summer before football tickets even become available.
“My friends and I booked our hotel over the summer before we knew just how good the team would be,” said senior Addie Murphy. “We knew Key West would overlap with a home game, but did not really care as there is only one weekend for Key West and many weekends for football games.”
But wanting to participate in student traditions doesn’t make someone less of a die-hard Canes fan.
“I would have loved to go to the game but I booked Fantasy Fest six months ago,” said Sophia Metzner, a student studying political science and media management.
In particular, the rivalry game against Florida State University on Oct. 17 drew a lot of online hate as well.
“Miami fans still can not fill up Hard Rock,” wrote @cfbsaturdaydaily on Instagram. “Despite the Hurricanes holding the nation’s top ranking, noticeable sections of empty seats could be seen throughout the stadium.
Again, the outlets don’t mention that the sold-out FSU game fell on the weekend of III Points. Tickets for the music festival went live nearly a year ago, on Oct. 23, 2025, letting students buy tickets long before this season’s football schedule became available on Jan. 27, 2026.
Key West and III Points aren’t the only events making it difficult for students to go to home games. Two home games are scheduled for the weekends before and after Thanksgiving, and since UM is hosting remote classes on the Monday of the holiday week, a large portion of the student body will likely be traveling for the break.
Then, if Miami makes it to the College Football Playoffs, Art Basel, Christmas and New Year’s could create conflicts.
While Miami’s No. 1 ranking has brought national attention to the Hurricanes, empty seats do not necessarily mean students are uninterested. Between long-standing traditions, music festivals and holiday travel, students often have to choose between events scheduled on the same weekend.
As the Hurricanes continue their season, the challenge may not be getting students to care about football, but finding a schedule that lets them show up.
Katie Karlson and Gaby Collazo contributed to the reporting for this article.