Miami Picked as Preseason ACC Title Favorites

Of note, the ACC touts that, according to its metrics, it has the strongest non-conference schedule among P4 rivals. The same was true in 2025.

Miami looks to travel for one of those important non-conference matchups this year in its biggest road test, where the Hurricanes will face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the road on November 7.

Additionally, this is the first year that the ACC will transition to a nine-game conference schedule, making the strength of the average out-of-conference opponent much more meaningful at the end of the year. After all, it was Miami's head-to-head win over Notre Dame last year that ensured its berth to the College Football Playoff and set the wheels in motion for a run to the national championship game.

Ever the stoic head coach, though, Mario Cristobal said at ACC Kickoff that he and the rest of the staff weren't concerned with preseason rankings. Sure, they're nice, but it's very obvious that Miami is returning a team full of players left with a sour taste in their mouths following last year's loss to Indiana. Cristobal kept it simple enough.

"We don’t want to talk about it,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said at the ACC’s Football Kickoff in Charlotte. “We don’t want to predict it. Let’s go find out.”

The Hurricanes are slated to "find out" for the first time when they take the field against Stanford in a road matchup on September 4 for game one of the 2026 season.