UM faces tough schedule
Miami football team will close year playing four of its last six conference games on road.
As the Miami Hurricanes made their run to winning the first ACC Coastal Division title in program history last season, they had the luxury of playing some of their biggest division games at home, in front of cheering crowds at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami won’t get that same friendly schedule as it looks to defend that division crown this season.
While the Hurricanes will get to host arguably one of the biggest games they’ll play all season when rival Florida State visits Hard Rock on Oct. 6, Miami will close the year playing four of its last six conference games on the road.
Two of those road tests will come in back-to-back weeks as the Hurricanes travel to Georgia Tech on Nov. 10, then head to Virginia Tech on Nov. 17 for a game that could very well decide the Coastal Division.
The Hurricanes and Hokies have won the last two division titles.
Miami beat both Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech in home games this past season, but struggled in
their last trip to Blacksburg, losing, 37-16, there in 2016.
Those won’t be the only challenges for the Hurricanes, who are projected an early Top 10 team and will head into the year looking to bounce back after ending 2017 on a three-game losing streak.
Miami, which went 10-3, saw its season end with a 34-24 loss to Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl and was ranked 13th in the final AP Top 25 Poll of the season, will open the year Sept. 2 against LSU in the Advocare Classic at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
After that comes the Hurricanes’ home opener, a Sept. 8 game against Savannah State. The Hurricanes will round out non-conference play with a Sept. 15 game at Toledo and a Sept. 22 game against FIU, which is led by former Hurricanes coach Butch Davis.
The game will mark a renewal in a series most recognized for its infamous 2006 brawl that resulted in multiple suspensions for both the Hurricanes and Panthers.
After that, Miami’s ACC schedule will begin with home games against North Carolina on Thursday, Sept. 27, and the rival Seminoles on Oct. 6.
The Hurricanes will then head to Virginia for their first ACC road game on Oct. 13 and get a bye before beginning their late-season stretch.
They’ll open that lateseason push on Friday, Oct. 26, at Boston College, will host Duke Nov. 3, then travel to face Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.
Miami will close the regular season with a Nov. 24 game at Hard Rock Stadium against Pittsburgh, the team that snapped the Hurricanes’ 15-game win streak in 2017 and knocked them from the No. 2 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings.