Miami Football: 5 Bold Predictions for the Hurricanes in 2026

The 2025 Miami Hurricanes did it the hard way. After a pair of midseason losses by a combined nine points, Miami narrowly eked its way into the College Football Playoff picture, and the rest is history. The Hurricanes knocked off numerous big-time opponents before falling to eventual national champion Indiana in the season’s final game.

This season, Miami will look to build off that fantastic season with a new cast of characters. Duke’s Darian Mensah is in at quarterback after a fascinating transfer saga. The offensive and defensive lines have new faces, too. Mark Fletcher Jr. and Malachi Toney are two of the prominent holdovers primed to keep the offense rolling.

Coach Mario Cristobal quieted the skeptics last season. Now, the task at hand is clear: win the ACC title and stand atop the podium at season’s end.

Here are five bold predictions for Miami in 2026.

5 Bold Predictions for Miami for the 2026 College Football Season

Miami Will Make the College Football Playoff in 2026

Despite the losses of NFL draft picks Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor on defense and quarterback Carson Beck, the stars are aligned for Miami to make another deep run in 2026. The Hurricanes currently have only one ranked opponent on their schedule in Notre Dame. Many in college football circles believe Miami could go so far as to run the table in the ACC this season.

This season starts and ends with Mensah. He was dominant at Duke last season and commanded a hefty paycheck this offseason. If Mensah can play to that level again, Miami should roll through this schedule en route to the College Football Playoff.

Depth is a legitimate concern after losing so many good players. But if the Hurricanes can stay remotely healthy, they should be a bona fide national title contender again this season.

Darian Mensah Will Win the Heisman Trophy in 2026

LSU’s Sam Leavitt and Indiana’s Josh Hoover were among the most highly-touted transfers of the offseason cycle, but none might have a greater impact in 2026 than Mensah.

Last season, Mensah threw for just shy of 4,000 yards and 34 touchdowns, propelling an eight-win Duke team to the conference title game, where the Blue Devils knocked off heavy favorite Virginia, sending the ACC into disarray.

This season, Mensah will have better weapons, a strong offensive line and face a far more lenient schedule. Barring an injury, Mensah will be one of the most lethal quarterbacks in all of college football this season.

If the Hurricanes roll through the ACC and finish the regular season 11-1 or 12-0, Mensah will undoubtedly be a Heisman Trophy frontrunner, along with the likes of Texas’ Arch Manning, Oregon’s Dante Moore and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr.

Ahmad Moten Sr. Will Lead The Team in Sacks

Perhaps the best part of the 2025 Hurricanes’ football team was the defensive line. Bain and Mesidor terrorized opposing offenses with a flurry of pass-rush moves and combined for 22 sacks as a pairing. Surprisingly, cornerback Keionte Scott tallied the third-most sacks for Miami last season with 5.5.

Both Bain Jr. and Mesidor are off to the NFL, which means Miami will need to find new ways to get after opposing quarterbacks. One player with high upside who remains from that fearsome defensive line: Ahmad Moten Sr. Last season, the junior plugged running lanes with ease and notched 4.5 sacks.

Moten Sr. has all the makings of the next Miami defensive line superstar. It might be difficult to notch double-digit sacks as an interior defensive lineman, but if anyone can get close, it might be him.

Look for a more well-rounded approach from the Hurricanes to get after the passer in 2026.

Miami Will Run the Table in the ACC

Last season, the Hurricanes tripped up twice in ACC play. The first loss came by three points to Louisville, with the second coming by a slim margin against SMU in overtime.

This season, Miami has a loaded roster, a highly-touted quarterback in Mensah and two budding superstars in Fletcher Jr. and Toney. Combine that with a weak ACC slate, and this team has all the makings of going on a big-time run.

At first glance, the toughest ACC games on the Hurricanes’ schedule include games at Clemson in early October, at home against Pitt and a late-November home tilt versus Virginia Tech. Miami has been known to stub its toe in ACC play, but this season feels different.

The Hurricanes should be heavy favorites in every ACC game. Pencil me down for an undefeated Miami team in ACC play.

Miami Will Finish the Regular Season 11-1 With a Loss to Notre Dame

Last August, Miami knocked off Notre Dame 27-24 at Hard Rock Stadium. Little did we know that would be a season-defining victory for the Hurricanes – and that it would go a long way in Miami getting in the College Football Playoff over the Fighting Irish.

Much like Miami, Notre Dame is on a warpath to the national championship game. Carr is back, the defense is loaded and head coach Marcus Freeman is fired up to prove he can push the program over the proverbial hump.

Unlike last season, Notre Dame will come out victorious. It’ll be a close game; Mensah and Toney will play well, but in the end, the Fighting Irish having home-field advantage will be the difference.

The game against Notre Dame will be the Hurricanes’ lone loss of the regular season.