Miami football vs. North Carolina: Broadcast and Game 9 information

The Miami football team will play their biggest home game of 2020 when they host North Carolina on Saturday.

The Miami football team will make their fourth appearance in the biggest2020 college football game of the week 2020 when Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and the top ABC crew call the Hurricanes game against North Carolina on Saturday afternoon. This is the third game of the season for Miami against a ranked team.

Miami defeated then number 18 Louisville in September and lost to then number one Clemson in October. North Carolina State has moved into the College Football Playoff rankings since the Miami football team defeated the Wolfpack in Raleigh last month. North Carolina is currently 17th in the College Football Playoff Rankings, Miami 10th.

Miami suffered one of its toughest losses in 2019 at North Carolina. Poor placekicking and a breakdown in pass coverage on fourth and 17 late in the fourth quarter cost Miami a victory in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels travel to Miami Gardens with a 7-3 record after defeating Western Carolina 49-9 last week.

Miami is coming off their most impressive performance in years. The Hurricanes earned a 48-shutout at Duke last Saturday. The shutout was the first for Miami against an FBS opponent since 2004, their first against a Power Five and conference opponent since 2001 and first-ever in the ACC.

"Game Information:Saturday, December 12, 2020, 3:30 p.m. ET | ABCMiami Gardens, Fla., Hard Rock Stadium (64,767)#20/#20 NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS (7-3, 6-3 ACC)HEAD COACH: Mack Brown (Florida State, 1974) | CAREER: 258-131-1 (32nd season) | AT UNC: 83-55-1 (12th)#8/#9 MIAMI HURRICANES (8-1, 7-1 ACC)HEAD COACH: Manny Diaz (Florida State, 1995) | CAREER: 14-8 (second season) | AT MIAMI: 14-8 (second)Information Courtesy MiamiHurricanes.Com"

North Carolina leads the all-time series with Miami 12-11. The Hurricanes won in 2017 and 2018 to even the all-time series before falling behind again last season. Both teams are vastly improved over the past two seasons in the second year of their current coaching regimes.

Manny Diaz is in the second-year leading Miami and Mack Brown returned to North Carolina following an early stint in Chapel Hill from 1988-97. Brown won a National Championship at Texas in 2005. Amazingly, last year was the first-time Brown coached against Miami in his long coaching career.

Diaz and Brown have a history. Diaz was the defensive coordinator at Texas under Brown from 2011-2013 before he was fired. In his first two games as head coach last season, Diaz faced two of his mentors and former bosses, Dan Mullen of Florida and Brown. Miami could play Florida in the Orange Bowl Game later this month.

"Broadcast Information:Television (ABC)• Chris Fowler (play by play)• Kirk Herbstreit (color)• Maria Taylor (sidelines)Flagship Radio (560 WQAM)• Joe Zagacki (play-by-play)• Don Bailey, Jr. (color)• Josh Darrow (sidelines)Spanish Radio (Unanimo Deportes)• Alfredo Alvarez (play-by-play)• Jose Martinez (color)"

Getting the top broadcast crew in college football for the fourth time this season is a sign of the respect and interest in the Miami football program nationally. Fowler and Herbstreit called Miami games earlier this season against Louisville, Florida State and Clemson. Playing well on national TV helps the program.

Getting wins in the last two games of the season is critical to getting Miami to the Orange Bowl as well as hoping that Clemson defeats Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game next week. A win by the Fighting Irish likely eliminates Clemson from the College Football Playoff and puts the Tigers in the Orange Bowl.

The highest-ranked team in the ACC not in college football playoff goes to the Orange Bowl. At the very least wins in the last two games for Miami will guarantee a berth in one of the New Year’s Six Bowl games. If it is not the Orange, Miami would play in the Peach, Cotton or their personal house of horrors, the Fiesta Bowl.