Miami Hurricanes 2007 Football Schedule Released

Jan. 24, 2007

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Atlantic Coast Conference released the 2007 football schedule for its 12 member schools today. The 2007 Miami Hurricanes will face one of the toughest schedules in the nation in their fourth season in the ACC, with six of their 12 games against teams that played in bowl games in 2006. The Hurricanes will play seven home games at the Orange Bowl. (Game times have yet to be announced.)

The Hurricanes, annually one of college football’s top television ratings draws, have one game already scheduled for national telecast, on September 20, a Thursday night game at the Orange Bowl against Texas A&M to be shown on ESPN.

The Hurricanes will open the season on a Saturday for the first time in four years, since the annual Florida State game, which has been scheduled for Labor Day night the last three years, will now be played in October. Miami will open the 2007 season at home and will play all four of its non-conference games before finishing the year with eight consecutive games against Atlantic Coast Conference rivals.

The six bowl teams from 2006 on Miami’s 2007 schedule are: Oklahoma (Fiesta Bowl), Texas A&M (Holiday Bowl), Florida State (Emerald Bowl), Georgia Tech (Gator Bowl), Virginia Tech (Chick-fil-A Bowl) and Boston College (Meineke Car Care Bowl).

“It’s a very competitive schedule, like the University of Miami is always accustomed to,” said new Hurricanes head coach Randy Shannon. “I look forward to the season, and I know the players do, too.”>

The Marshall Thundering Herd will come to the Orange Bowl on September 1 for the season opener. This will be the first game ever between the two schools (Miami will travel to Marshall in 2011 in the second part of a home-and-home series). Marshall, a member of Conference USA, finished 5-7 in 2006, the school’s second straight losing season after having 20 consecutive winning seasons.

Miami will go on the road in Week Two on Saturday, September 8, when it plays the Oklahoma Sooners for the first time since 1988. The two universities played three times in the 1980s, with Miami winning all three games. The Miami-Oklahoma series was considered one of the best in college football during those seasons (the only other meetings between the two schools were in 1973 and 1975, both Oklahoma victories). Miami won the 1985 game 27-14 in Norman, Okla., but the Sooners won the national championship that season. A year later, in 1986, the two schools were ranked No. 1 and 2, and the game matched Vinny Testaverde and Michael Irvin against Brian Bosworth and Co. Miami won 28-16 in a classic, with Testaverde throwing for four touchdowns. The following season, on January 1, 1988, the teams met in the Orange Bowl for the national championship, with Miami winning 20-14 to claim its second national title. This is the first of a home-and-home series in which Oklahoma will come to the Orange Bowl in 2009. In 2006, Oklahoma was 11-3 and played in the Fiesta Bowl.

On Saturday, September 15, Miami will host Florida International at the Orange Bowl. Last year Miami defeated the Golden Panthers 35-0 at home, but former Hurricanes star lineman and assistant coach Mario Cristobal is now the head coach at FIU. It will be a road game for the Golden Panthers, although they will have to travel only 11 miles for the contest. FIU was 0-12 in 2006. The school commenced its football program in 2002 and has an all-time record of 15-41.

The Hurricanes will host Texas A&M on Thursday, September 20, getting only four days of rest between games. The Hurricanes and Aggies have played just one time, back in 1944, with Texas A&M the victor. This is another home-and-home series; Miami will travel to Texas A&M in 2008. The Aggies finished 9-4 under Dennis Franchione in 2006 and played in the Holiday Bowl.>

The Hurricanes will host Duke on Saturday, September 29 in only the fifth game ever between the two schools. The series is tied 2-2. Duke was winless in 2006, going 0-12. The Blue Devils are coached by Ted Roof, now in his fifth season.

Miami will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. to face the North Carolina Tar Heels for the fourth straight year on Saturday, October 6. They will face North Carolina’s new head coach, Butch Davis, who was Miami’s head coach from 1995-2000. The home team has won all three games in ACC action so far, with Miami winning 27-7 in 2006. North Carolina finished 3-9 in 2006. The Hurricanes and Tar Hells have each won five games in the series, so Miami can take the lead with its third straight victory.

On Saturday, October 13, the Hurricanes will host Georgia Tech at the Orange Bowl. Last season, the Yellow Jackets defeated Miami 30-23 in Atlanta. Georgia Tech is one of only two ACC schools that hold a series lead over Miami (8-4 overall, 1-1 in Miami). Georgia Tech is coming off a successful 2006 season (9-5) that was capped by an appearance in the ACC Championship Game followed by a berth in the Gator Bowl. New Miami offensive coordinator Patrick Nix will face the team he coached for the last five seasons.

On Saturday, October 20, the Hurricanes and Seminoles will meet for the 52nd time in another edition of one of the nation’s top football rivalries. Last season, Florida State nipped Miami 13-10 in the Orange Bowl for FSU’s second straight victory in the series, so revenge will be in the minds of the Hurricanes. In the all-time series, Miami holds a 29-22 lead, including a mark of 14-8 in Tallahassee. The Seminoles were 7-6 in 2006 and played in the Emerald Bowl.

The Hurricanes will not play on Saturday, October 27, their only off week of the season.

North Carolina State will come to the Orange Bowl on Saturday, November 3, making its first visit to the Orange Bowl since Miami joined the ACC. The two teams last met in 2004, when Miami won 45-31 in Raleigh, N.C. The two schools have met 11 times dating back to 1939, with Miami holding a 7-3-1 lead in the series. The Wolfpack are now coached by former BC coach Tom O’Brien. Last season, North Carolina State finished 3-9.

The Virginia Cavaliers will travel to Miami for a clash with the Hurricanes on Saturday, November 10. The two schools have played only four times, and Virginia won for the first time last season 17-7 in Charlottesville, Va. Virginia finished 2006 with a record of 5-7. This will be the fourth straight year the two schools have met.

UM will face arch-rival Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. on Saturday, November 17. The last time Miami played in Blacksburg, they upset the No. 3-ranked Hokies 27-7. The two perennial national powers have played 24 times, with Miami holding a 16-8 lead in the series. Virginia Tech was 10-3 last season and ranked 18th and 19th in the final polls.

Miami will close out the regular season on Saturday, November 24 when it makes its first trip to Boston College as members of the ACC. Last season, Miami defeated BC 17-14 in the Orange Bowl in the season finale to gain a bowl berth. Miami and Boston College were members of the Big East for more than a decade and have been playing for more than half a century. Miami has won 23 of the 26 meetings, including the last seven in Boston. The Eagles are now coached by Jeff Jagodzinski, who came from the Green Bay Packers and formerly coached at BC.

Miami finished the 2006 season with a record of 7-6, its ninth consecutive winning season and 26th in the last 27 years, as well as its ninth straight season playing in a bowl game. The Hurricanes were 3-5 and in fourth place in the ACC’s Coastal Division. The ACC Conference Championship Game will be played on December 1 at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville in a nationally televised game on ABC.

Season tickets can be purchased by calling 305-284-CANE in Miami-Dade County or 1-800-GO-CANES elsewhere. Renewals for season ticket holders will be mailed in the next few weeks.

2007 Miami Hurricanes Football Schedule

Home games in CAPS. ACC games designated by *. Dates are tentative and subject to change. Game times are not yet available.