The Miami Hurricanes, ranked seventh nationally, are set to open their 2026 college football season on September 4th against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. The game is scheduled to kick off at 9 p.m. ET.
Miami, the 2026 College Football Championship runner-up, enters the matchup as a projected 24.5-point favorite. The Hurricanes will feature transfer quarterback Darian Mensah under center. This marks the second all-time meeting between the two programs. In their previous encounter last October, Miami defeated Stanford 42-7.
Stanford, under first-year head coach Tavita Pritchard, is coming off a 37-27 victory over Hawaii in their season opener on August 29th. Stanford's Micah Ford and the Cardinal are looking to build on that momentum.
Pritchard acknowledged the talent of their upcoming opponent. "We’re excited about this upcoming week because it’s another chance to learn about ourselves and grow," Pritchard said Monday. "It is about us and about what we do, but at the same time, you can’t lose sight of the talent that’s across the ball from you, the schemes they run and the personnel and making sure you can find a winning edge there."
Fans without cable can stream the game for free via a five-day trial offered by DIRECTV. The MySports Genre Pack, which costs $49.99 per month, includes ESPN and access to the ESPN app, among over 20 other sports-focused channels.