There is not any marvel what the largest sport of the 2026 season is for the Miami Hurricanes.
The complete season for each Miami and Notre Dame, and maybe all of school soccer, revolves across the first weekend of November, when the 2 renew acquaintances in South Bend after final yr’s season-opening thriller.
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The Hurricanes’ tremendous freshman Malachi Toney burst onto the scene with the opening landing, and Carter Davis booted dwelling the profitable discipline purpose with a minute left in a rousing 27-24 win over Notre Dame, who had been contemporary off a nationwide championship sport look. The groups would go on to matching 10-2 data and, regardless of being positioned forward of the Hurricanes within the CFP rankings within the weeks main as much as the ultimate launch, the Irish had been disregarded of the playoff due to that season-opening head-to-head loss. Notre Dame reacted very usually to the entire thing, passing on a bowl invitation and spending the offseason planning their revenge.
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Now Miami enters the season off a loss within the nationwide championship, able to take the following step and win one other title. They have a brand new quarterback in Darian Mensah, a retooled line of defense with Damon Wilson II, and eyes on their first ACC championship look and second straight CFP run.
This is a have a look at the three video games that can make or break Miami’s 2026 season. If that is not sufficient, we threw on a particular bonus fourth sport on the finish.
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Contents
Miami vs Clemson | October 3
On paper, that is by far Miami’s largest in-conference take a look at within the common season. Clemson could not be the perennial nationwide championship contender of the late 2010s, however final yr’s turbulent 7-6 season apart, Dabo Swinney routinely places collectively groups that contend for the School Soccer Playoff. He dipped into the switch portal to shore up the protection, particularly within the secondary with former Penn State cornerback Elliot Washington II, Previous Dominion security Jerome Carter III and Southern Miss security Corey Myrick. That unit was the weak hyperlink in what was in any other case the Tigers’ largest energy, tying SMU for the third-best scoring protection within the ACC in 2025.
Clemson’s offense was abysmal final yr, ending eleventh within the convention at 27.2 factors per sport, however there’s cause to consider they are going to enhance in 2026. After three seasons behind Cade Klubnik, Christopher Vizzina is anticipated to take over the offense with Jacksonville native and four-star freshman Naeem Burroughs becoming a member of Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore. Demise Valley is a historically powerful place for guests, however the Tigers went 3-4 at dwelling final season and 1-3 towards ACC opponents, together with a 46-45 barnburner of a loss to Duke by which Darian Mensah threw for 361 yards and a career-high 4 touchdowns.
The Hurricanes have not performed the Tigers since 2023 (a 28-20 win) and have not traveled to Clemson since 2022 (a 40-10 blowout loss in Mario Cristobal’s first season in Coral Gables.
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Miami vs Notre Dame | November 7
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Location: Notre Dame Stadium (South Bend, Indiana)
We’re actually again within the Nineteen Eighties glory days if Miami-Notre Dame is circled as a sport of the yr contender this far out. Marcus Freeman did not want so as to add a lot to the No. 11 scoring protection that is returning 9 key gamers, however he nonetheless grabbed a pair of four-star transfers in Pitt defensive sort out Francis Brewu and Colorado cornerback DJ McKinney. Two main items of the No. 3 scoring offense are gone, however the Irish’s stellar operating again tandem was stored beneath wraps final yr in Miami: Heisman finalist Jeremiyah Love had 14 touches for simply 59 whole yards, whereas Jadarian Value was the extra explosive of the 2 with 45 yards on six carries.
However whereas Aneyas Williams and redshirt freshman Nolan James Jr. ought to step in simply effective, it is the passing sport that attracts probably the most consideration in South Bend. C.J. Carr had an unimaginable freshman season with touchdown-to-interception numbers harking back to Mensah’s (24-6 vs. 34-6), and this showdown might double as a Heisman elimination sport. Freeman introduced in contemporary weapons for Carr, with Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham coming in from extensive receiver manufacturing facility Ohio State to run with Jordan Faison.
The Canes final visited Notre Dame in 2016, once they scored 27 straight factors after falling behind 20-0 just for DeShone Kizer and Josh Adams to guide a late rally and Notre Dame to win 30-27 on a chip-shot discipline purpose with 30 seconds left.
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Miami vs Duke | November 14
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Location: Laborious Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Miami will not get a lot alternative to recuperate from no matter occurs in South Bend. The defending ACC champions — sure, the five-loss Blue Devils did actually win the convention final yr — kick off what might be a trickier-than-expected three-game dwelling stretch to shut out the common season. The difficulties round this sport particularly are three-fold:
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Coming proper after the large Notre Dame sport offers this all the emotions of a entice sport. Whether or not they win or lose that one, it will not matter as a lot within the playoff image as this convention sport will, and up to date Canes seasons have come undone with comparable letdown video games ( you, 2024 Syracuse).
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You could have heard that Manny Diaz coached Miami earlier than they introduced in Mario Cristobal from Oregon. The defensive specialist has already led his new group into Laborious Rock Stadium as soon as earlier than, a 53-31 annihilation by the hands of Cam Ward in 2024. However that was his first season in Durham, and he is adopted in Mike Elko’s footsteps in making the Blue Devils a good program, as evidenced by final yr’s ACC championship. About that …
ACC championship sport | December 5
Shock! This truly is perhaps the defining sport of Miami’s 2026 season, extra so than even the Notre Dame sport. With the schedule gods letting them keep away from SMU, Louisville and Georgia Tech — three of the opposite 5 favorites to win the ACC and all of whom have shocked the Hurricanes the previous few years — the Hurricanes ought to have the simplest path to Charlotte. After Clemson, the group on UM’s schedule that completed highest within the convention’s preseason ballot is Virginia Tech, coming in at eighth. Add the ACC remodeling its tiebreaker coverage so the best rated group in a key CFP metric will get in over a group with a greater convention win proportion, and there is no excuse for the Canes to increase their unfathomable 21-year absence from the title sport.
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Miami soccer schedule 2026
All occasions Japanese.
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Friday, Sept. 4: at Stanford* | 9 p.m. | ESPN
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Thursday, Sept. 10: vs. Florida A&M | 8 p.m. | ACC Community
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Friday, Sept. 18: at Wake Forest* | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
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Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Central Michigan | 6:30 p.m. | The CW
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Saturday, Oct. 3: at Clemson* | TBD
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Saturday, Oct. 24: vs. Pittsburgh* | TBD
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Saturday, Oct. 31: at North Carolina* | TBD
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Saturday, Nov. 7: at Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. | NBC
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Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Duke* | TBD
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Saturday, Nov. 21: vs. Virginia Tech* | TBD
*- ACC sport
This text initially appeared on Palm Seaside Submit: Aside from Notre Dame, these 3 video games will outline Miami soccer season
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