CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The dust has barely settled on their thrilling run to the College Football Playoff Championship, but already the Hurricanes know what awaits in 2026.

There will be a trip to the West Coast to start the new season. A home game against one of their biggest rivals. A trip to South Bend in November against another familiar foe. And three home games against ACC opponents to close out the regular season.

In the coming days, the Hurricanes will dive into their off-season conditioning program and soon enough, they’ll be back on Greentree for spring practice.

They’ll do so with their eyes set on a Sept. 4 season opener at Stanford and an even clearer understanding of the work required to compete on college football’s biggest stage.

Their head coach believes they’ll be plenty motivated to do that work, given the run they put together over the course of the last few weeks.

“I do see pain in moments like this, and we should, if we’re a competitor that’s worth anything,” Mario Cristobal said after Miami came up just short against Indiana in last week’s CFP championship game. “You feel it, and you use it, and you give those feelings a direction. I know the guys coming back will.”

Here, a look at the season ahead…

Sept. 4, at Stanford

Stanford Stadium

While the Hurricanes opened the 2025 season with four straight home games, this fall will be different, and it will all start with a 3,014-mile road trip.

The Hurricanes and Cardinal have met just once, with that matchup coming last October at Hard Rock Stadium. This will mark Miami’s first visit to Palo Alto and Miami’s second trip to California since the ACC expanded in 2024.

The Cardinal posted a 4-8 record last season, with their only wins coming against Boston College, San Jose State, Florida State and Cal.

In December, former Cardinal quarterback – and Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach – Tavita Pritchard was named the program’s new head coach and entrusted with helping Stanford get back on track.

Pritchard started his coaching career at Stanford and served in various roles there before being elevated to offensive coordinator in 2018. He moved on to the NFL in 2023 and has now returned to his alma mater, where he faces the task of helping Stanford try and surpass the four-win mark for the first time since 2018 when the team went 9-4.

Expect the Hurricanes to try and learn from their visit to Northern California in 2024, where a slow start had them fall behind by 25 before they rallied for a 39-38 win over California.

Sept. 10, FAMU

Hard Rock Stadium

After playing a Friday night game on the West Coast, the Hurricanes will return home to host their season opener against FAMU just six days later.

The Rattlers will come to Hard Rock Stadium after posting a 5-7 mark in 2025 and ending the year with losses to Bethune-Cookman and Mississippi Valley State.

Like Stanford, FAMU – which averaged 24.3 points and 372.6 yards per game last season – will be led by a new head coach who once played there.

Quinn Gray Sr., a former Rattlers quarterback, was named FAMU’s new head coach in December. He joined the program after a three-year stint at Albany State where his teams posted a 24-11 mark. Last season, Albany State went 12-2 and was unbeaten in conference play, earning a berth in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals.

But Gray and his staff may have to make some offensive adjustments early, with quarterback RJ Johnson III, who threw for 2,597 yards and 18 touchdowns, announcing in December he was entering the transfer portal.

The Hurricanes and Rattlers have met 12 times, and Miami owns an 11-1 record in the all-time series. FAMU’s lone win? A 16-13 victory when the two teams met for the first time in 1979.

Sept. 18 at Wake Forest

Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium

The Hurricanes continue ACC play with another road conference game when they travel to face Wake Forest on Sept. 18.

It’ll be Miami’s first trip to Winston-Salem since 2009 when the Hurricanes eked out a 28-27 win over the Demon Deacons.

The Demon Deacons, led by second-year coach Jake Dickert, are coming off a 9-4 season and closed the year with a 43-29 win over Mississippi State in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Before that, Wake Forest posted a 4-4 record in conference play.

It was the most successful first season for a head coach in program history and while Wake Forest added 42 new enrollees this offseason, they return several key playmakers from last year’s team.

Among those returning players is defensive end Langston Hardy, an All-ACC honorable mention selection who was tied for third in the conference with 17 tackles for loss last season, and receiver Carlos Hernandez, who had a team-high 611 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Also back is safety Davaughn Patterson, another All-ACC honorable mention selection. He was second on the team with 80 tackles and was among conference leaders with nine passes defended.

Miami has won eight straight against Wake Forest and holds a 9-3 lead in the all-time series. The Demon Deacons last beat Miami in 1944.

Sept. 26, Central Michigan

Hard Rock Stadium

After opening the season with a pair of Friday games and a Thursday night matchup, the Hurricanes finally get their first Saturday game of 2026 when they welcome Central Michigan to Hard Rock Stadium.

It will be only the second meeting between Miami and Central Michigan, who played at Hard Rock in 2019, a game the Hurricanes won, 17-12.

The Chippewas posted a 7-6 record last season under first-year coach Matt Drinkall. They ended the year losing three of their last five, including a 34-7 loss to Northwestern in the GameAbove Sports Bowl, but still posted their first above-.500 record since 2021.

Last season, the Chippewas used three quarterbacks including Angel Flores, who appeared in nine games before getting hurt.

At the time of his injury, Flores led the Chippewas in rushing yards. He finished the year with 527 rushing yards on a team-high 107 carries and had a team-high eight touchdowns. He completed 19 of 28 passes for 195 yards and two scores and could be in the mix to lead the offense in 2026.

Receiver Langston Lewis, a third-team All-MAC selection who led the Chippewas in receptions (43) and receiving yards (596) is also expected back after pulling his name out of the transfer portal.

Oct. 3, at Clemson

Memorial Stadium

The Hurricanes’ slate of road games against conference opponents continues when Miami travels to face Clemson the first weekend of October in a matchup between the last two ACC programs to appear in the CFP Championship.

For Miami, which didn’t leave the state of Florida until November last season, it will be the third ACC road game of the year. But Clemson will be logging its own set of miles heading into the game after playing at Cal the previous week.

The Tigers are coming off a 7-6 season and closed out the year winning four of their last five, with their lone loss in that stretch coming against Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl.

But there’s no doubt one of the ACC’s perennial powers will be looking to bounce back, especially with the return of former offensive coordinator Chad Morris. During his previous stint as Clemson’s offensive coordinator between 2011-14, the Tigers posted a 41-11 record including a 27-6 mark against ACC opponents.

Along with adding Morris to the coaching staff, the Tigers have added nine players via the transfer portal – a change from their approach not that long ago.

The Hurricanes and Tigers’ all-time series is tied 7-7, but Miami did win the last meeting, 28-20, in double overtime in 2023. That snapped a four-game losing streak against Clemson.

Oct. 17, Florida State

Hard Rock Stadium

After an open week, Miami finally gets the opportunity to host a conference opponent at Hard Rock Stadium, and it will be a doozy: rival Florida State.

The Seminoles posted an underwhelming 5-7 record in 2025 and closed the year with back-to-back losses to NC State and Florida, but last October, they gave the Hurricanes one of their toughest tests of the year.

Miami jumped out to a 28-3 third-quarter lead, but FSU scored 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull within 28-22 with 20 seconds left. The Hurricanes were able to hang on for the win – and claimed their second straight “state championship” in the process – but the game was a reminder that when these two rivals meet, records often don’t matter.

A handful of transfer portal additions including running back Tre Wisner from Texas, quarterback Ashton Daniels from Auburn and linebackers Chris Jones and Mikai Gbayor, from Southern Miss and North Carolina, respectively, helped land the Seminoles the No. 22 ranking in USA Today’s way-too-early Top 25, but Florida State will be tested early and often in 2026.

They’ll face the likes of SMU, Alabama, Virginia and Louisville before coming to Hard Rock Stadium.

Miami has a 37-33 lead in its all-time series with the Seminoles and has won two straight against their in-state rivals.

Oct. 24, Pittsburgh

Hard Rock Stadium

Much was made last season about Miami’s regular-season finale at Pittsburgh and whether the Hurricanes could handle a late-November, cold-weather game against the Panthers.

The Hurricanes responded to that challenge, beating Pittsburgh 38-7 in 30-degree temperatures, but those questions won’t be an issue this year.

This time around, it’s Pittsburgh who will travel south and their trip will come in mid-October – hardly the coldest, or warmest, time of the year in South Florida.

Despite losing their regular-season finale against Miami last fall, the Panthers posted an 8-5 mark in 2025 and were among the teams in the mix for a potential berth in the ACC Championship Game late into the year.

Pittsburgh will look to build on that success and returns several of its top young playmakers from a season ago, including quarterback Mason Heintschel, who took over the starting job four games into his freshman year. Heintschel went on to finish the year completing 64 percent of his passes and throwing for 2,354 yards and 16 touchdowns and was a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award.

Also back for the Panthers is running back Ja’Kyrian Turner, who rushed for a team-high 745 yards and seven touchdowns, and cornerback Shawn Lee Jr., who earned Freshman All-American honors from On3 after recording 29 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, four passes defended and an interception, which he returned for a touchdown.

The Panthers and Hurricanes, longtime former Big East foes, have met 43 times, with Miami holding a 30-12-1 lead in the all-time series.

Oct. 31, at North Carolina

Kenan Memorial Stadium

The Tar Heels had high expectations last season after the arrival of head coach Bill Belichick, an NFL coaching legend, but things did not go as he or the Tar Heels hoped.

North Carolina went 4-8 last year and closed the year out with three straight losses to in-state rivals: Wake Forest, Duke and NC State. One of the Tar Heels’ toughest problems in 2025? Offensive consistency. North Carolina averaged just 19.3 points and 288.8 yards per game – numbers that ranked 16^th and 17^th in the ACC, respectively.

To try and get offense on track, Belichick revamped his coaching staff and hired Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator. Petrino most recently served as the offensive coordinator and interim head coach at Arkansas last season. The Razorbacks were 2-10 last year.

North Carolina also made changes in its quarterback room, adding former Wisconsin quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. to the roster via the transfer portal, along with former Texas A&M quarterback Miles O’Neill. The Tar Heels also signed a large freshman class featuring 39 new players.

Whether all those changes result in an offensive spark remains to be seen, but the hope in Chapel Hill is that given the fact Belichick now has a full recruiting cycle under his belt, the Tar Heels will be better.

When the teams meet, the Hurricanes will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak against North Carolina. Miami last beat the Tar Heels in 2018.

Nov. 7, at Notre Dame

Notre Dame Stadium

Last August, the Hurricanes and Irish rekindled their rivalry with a thrilling season opener that Miami won, 27-24.

It was a win that proved especially consequential in December when the College Football Playoff committee used the head-to-head meeting when comparing the two teams’ similar playoff resumes.

Ultimately, it was Miami that earned the last at-large berth in the playoff field, while Notre Dame was the first team out.

Expect another high-stakes matchup in 2026, especially given the late-season timing of this year’s game.

The Irish, who finished the year with a 10-2 record and opted out of playing a postseason bowl game, are widely expected to be among the top teams in the country this season despite the departures of running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Prince.

Quarterback CJ Carr is expected to return for his second season as starter after completing 67 percent of his passes and throwing for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns with just six interceptions.

Leading receiver Jordan Faison is also back, and to that mix, the Irish added former Ohio State receiver Quincy Porter. Notre Dame also added Alabama defensive end Keon Keeley to the roster and returns defensive lineman Bryce Young, who had 20 tackles and two sacks last season.

Nov. 14, Duke

Hard Rock Stadium

More high-stakes matchups await the Hurricanes in November, but this year – unlike last – they’ll have the opportunity to play more of those games at home.

Miami will close out the regular season with three straight home games, and they’ll kick off that slate against the reigning ACC champion, Duke, on Nov. 14.

A five-team tiebreaker that went their way helped the Blue Devils clinch a spot in the ACC Championship Game last December, and Duke capitalized, defeating Virginia 27-20 in overtime to win the conference crown.

It marked the first outright conference championship for the Blue Devils since 1962.

The Blue Devils, led by former Miami coach Manny Diaz, posted a 9-5 record last season, closed the year on a five-game win streak and followed their ACC Championship Game victory with a 42-39 win over Arizona State in the Sun Bowl.

Miami holds a 16-5 lead in its all-time series with Duke, with the Hurricanes winning the last meeting in 2024, 53-31.

Nov. 20, Virginia Tech

Hard Rock Stadium

Miami’s November homestand continues against another team with a new head coach at the helm: Virginia Tech.

The school named James Franklin its new head coach last November, replacing Brent Pry who was fired, but then subsequently hired as Virginia Tech’s defensive coordinator.

Last season, the Hokies posted a 3-9 record and were 2-6 in conference play and will look to improve on that with the help of several key additions from the transfer portal.

Among those? Former Penn state quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who was 4-3 as a starter for the Nittany Lions last season and is now reunited with Franklin, his former coach. Also joining the Hokies is former Duke receiver Que’Sean Brown, who has totaled 1,291 receiving yards over the last two seasons, and former North Carolina quarterback Bryce Baker.

Like Miami and Pittsburgh, Miami and Virginia Tech are plenty familiar with each other, going back to their days in the Big East. The Hurricanes are 27-15 all time against the Hokies, including last year’s meeting in Blacksburg, a 34-17 Miami victory.

Nov. 28, Boston College

Hard Rock Stadium

The Hurricanes will close out the regular season with a matchup against another familiar foe: Boston College.

The Eagles will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing campaign in which they notched just two wins: a 66-10 victory over Fordham in the season opener and a 34-12 win over Syracuse in the final game of the regular season.

In between, Boston College endured a 10-game losing streak in which they were outscored 371-205.

Like many programs, the Eagles have revamped their roster during the offseason. Boston College lost 31 former players to the transfer portal, but added 26 new faces, including 15 who played at Power Four programs.

Among those new additions are quarterbacks Grayson Wilson (Arkansas) and Mason McKenzie (Saginaw Valley State), running back Evan Dickens (Georgia Tech/Liberty), linebacker Bodie Kahoun (Notre Dame) and linebacker Justin Medlock (SMU).

This will be Boston College’s first visit to South Florida since 2011, when the Eagles posted a 24-17 win over the Hurricanes. However, Miami did win its last meeting against Boston College, 45-20, in 2023 and the Hurricanes hold a 25-6 lead in the all-time series.