Miami came painfully close to winning a national championship last season.
Now the Hurricanes have to prove they can do it all over again.
No. 7 Miami opens its 2026 season Friday night at Stanford, returning to the field for the first time since losing 27-21 to Indiana in the national championship game. The Hurricanes enter as the preseason favorite to win the ACC and a massive favorite against the Cardinal.
This should be our first look at another loaded Miami team.
The biggest change comes at quarterback, where Darian Mensah takes over after transferring from Duke. Mensah led the Power Four in passing yards last season and now gets an impressive collection of weapons that includes Malachi Toney, Mark Fletcher Jr. and Cooper Barkate.
Stanford might have a difficult time slowing them down.
The Cardinal struggled badly against the pass last season, and that’s a dangerous weakness to have against Mensah and this Miami receiving corps.
Stanford does at least have one advantage.
The Cardinal have already played a game.
Stanford opened the season with a win over Hawaii, with Michigan transfer Davis Warren throwing for 310 yards and running back Micah Ford scoring three rushing touchdowns.
That should help Stanford avoid some of the typical Week 1 mistakes.
But there’s still an enormous talent gap here.
Miami beat Stanford 42-7 last season, and despite this year’s game being played in Palo Alto, I don’t see the result being much different.
The biggest thing I’m watching is Mensah.
Miami has spent the last couple of seasons bringing in veteran transfer quarterbacks, and Mensah might be the most talented of the group. If he immediately looks comfortable in Shannon Dawson’s offense, the Hurricanes could once again have one of the most dangerous offenses in college football.
Stanford should have a couple of successful drives, especially with Warren and Ford already having a game under their belts.
But eventually, Miami’s talent takes over.
The Hurricanes are bigger, faster and considerably deeper.
This is a game a national championship contender should dominate.
I expect Miami to do exactly that.
Prediction: Miami 41, Stanford 17
