If there's a chance to blow a layup, the ACC will do it, and fans have every right to be annoyed.
In a conference with very few attractions on the national level, the conference decided to put the Miami Hurricanes in a Friday night 6 p.m. local time (and 9 p.m. ET) kickoff against Stanford. It was a curious move and I hope they weren't expecting a big crowd on the farm because one didn't materialize at the time of the kickoff. Miami fans did their part in packing the stands, but the local supporters? Not so much.
The #GoCanes come out with a nice showing for the Hurricane crowd.
— Jayden Gonzalez (@JaydenAGonzalez) September 5, 2026
Probably not true but it feels like there’s almost as many Miami fans as there are Stanford. pic.twitter.com/kmUVLwNg2J
Again, the good news is that many Miami fans did decide to take the trip, and they were quickly rewarded with the Hurricanes' defense forcing a 3-and-out followed by a quick Miami drive that resulted in a touchdown pass from Darian Mensah to Malachi Toney, one of many we should expect to see this season. All it took was 1:40 for Miami to put points on the board, which was great to see.
Miami deserved better than a half-filled stadium on a Friday night
The ACC just can't help itself. The conference will never miss a chance to look bad when there are plenty of eyes watching. It almost makes you wonder if Jim Phillips is some sort of double agent working for the Big Ten or SEC?
When the conference announced its plans to play a game in Brazil, the smart thing would've been to schedule Miami against Cal or another coastal-based program that might actually want to travel to Rio de Janeiro. Instead, the ACC decided that NC State vs. Virginia was the game that had to happen on foreign soil and almost immediately it was panned and eventually moved to Charlottesville.
Mario Cristobal rightfully panned the move to play on Friday nights and holding college football games on any day but Saturday.
"I would start with simplicity. I would make all college football games on Saturday,," he told Rece Davis last month. "I do believe Friday nights are sacred when it comes to high school ball."
Miami will have another Friday game in a few weeks against Wake Forest and a Thursday night game next week at home against Florida A&M. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips made the strategic move to play conference games on Friday because it was the easiest way to get a game in primetime. But Fridays are traditionally also one, if not the lowest, viewing audiences during the week. And add a half-filled Stanford Stadium on top of that.
It's almost like Phillips doesn't want anyone to see what the ACC has become, but he should treat the Hurricanes with more respect because they carry the water for this conference.
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