A screenshot of Miami's 2026 football schedule has been making the rounds on X, attached to a line every Hurricanes fan understands instantly: "We finally got an Ohio State type of schedule in 2026." For a fan base that is currently watching Miami not get the credit they deserve, a 2026 cakewalk doesn't sound too bad right now.
We finally got an Ohio State type of schedule in 2026. 🔥🔥🔥 #GoCanes pic.twitter.com/jyPvONeyFi
— 2026 National Champs 🙌🏾 (@Miami_DaU) November 24, 2025
Comparing the 2025 and 2026 Miami football schedules
Miami's 2025 schedule loaded up early with an opener against Notre Dame at Hard Rock Stadium on Aug. 31, followed by Bethune-Cookman, USF and a showdown with Florida. The Notre Dame game lived up to the hype and USF has had a very successful season in their own right. Both of those wins have stood the test of the season and are the Canes best of the year. The Gators... well not so much. But Miami gets points for putting them on the schedule.
Conference play goes as follows: Florida State, SMU, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh on the road, and home games against Louisville, Stanford, Syracuse and NC State. Pitt, SMU, and Louisville are the best of the bunch on that list. FSU was ranked at the time of play, but then fell off the face of the earth. NC State is bowl eligible and the rest of the teams are under .500.
10 games against Power Four opponents in a 12-game regular season, multiple ranked wins, and an obvious effort to make the schedule challenging; that is how the 2025 schedule should be described. The 2026 version looks very different
As it stands today, Miami's 2026 nonconference slate consists of home games against Florida A&M and Central Michigan and a road trip to Notre Dame. FAMU and Central Michigan are both locked into September dates — Sept. 12 and Sept. 26 — with the trip to South Bend still listed as date TBA.
Originally, Miami was also supposed to open that season at South Carolina, but the schools agreed to cancel their 2026-27 home-and-home once both the ACC and SEC moved to nine conference games. That decision left Miami with the current three-game non-conference setup built around Notre Dame.
Miami's 2026 conference opponents are already mapped out, but the dates aren't. The Hurricanes are scheduled to face Boston College, Florida State, Pitt and Virginia Tech, plus road trips to Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford and Wake Forest, along with one additional ACC opponent still to be announced.
Road games at Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford, Wake Forest and Notre Dame are not anyone's definition of a cupcake stretch. But the structure feels more forgiving than 2025. So, in the midst of stressing about this year, don't forget to remind yourself that next year brings plenty of promise.
2025 schedule
- Aug. 31: vs. Notre Dame
- Sept. 6: vs. Bethune-Cookman
- Sept. 13: vs. USF
- Sept. 20: vs. Florida
- Oct. 4: at Florida State
- Oct. 17: vs. Louisville
- Oct. 25: vs. Stanford
- Nov. 1: at SMU
- Nov. 8: vs. Syracuse
- Nov. 15: vs. NC State
- Nov. 22: at Virginia Tech
- Nov. 29: at Pittsburgh
2026 schedule
- Sept. 12: vs. Florida A&M
- Sept. 26: vs. Central Michigan
- Date TBA: at Notre Dame
- ACC home opponents: Boston College, Florida State, Pitt, Virginia Tech
- ACC road opponents: Clemson, North Carolina, Stanford, Wake Forest, plus one additional ACC opponent TBA