Miami football schedule 2023: Can Miami challenge ACC's best?

The Atlantic Coast Conference will feel quite different this season.

The ACC canceled the Atlantic and Coastal divisions and created a new 3-5-5 model that gives three permanent opponents to each school and a rotation through the other 10 conference opponents across a two-year span. Miami's permanent opponents are Florida State, Boston College, and Louisville.

Miami has a way of always making a splash in the offseason but rarely has the amount of hype translated to the football field in recent years. Miami brings in a talented 2023 freshman class this season which was ranked 8th in the nation which fans are hoping can help the Hurricanes early and often in 2023, but relying on freshmen to help your team win is often a recipe for disaster.

Miami's projected win total is set at 7.5 according to Caesars Sportsbook. Miami had a total of ten players named to the preseason Phil Steele's All-ACC team including two making the first team in Javion Cohen and Kamren Kinchens.

There are only four teams in the ACC with higher projected win totals and all are on Miami's schedule this season.

Miami's second to last game of the season may loom large when it comes to bowl eligibility. The Hurricanes are already favored in the game against the Cardinals at Hard Rock Stadium by 2.5 points. Louisville has won three out of its last five against Miami, but the Hurricanes have won the last two matchups by a combined total of 99-61.

Dual-threat quarterback Malik Cunningham has moved on to the NFL, but the offense should take a step forward with new head coach Jeff Brohm at the helm.

Center Bryan Hudson and Miami native and cornerback Jarvis Brownlee earned preseason All-ACC honors by Phil Steele and running back Jawhar Jordan, wide receiver Jamari Thrash, and West Palm Beach native and offensive tackle Renato Brown were also recognized.

Miami's road game at North Carolina on October 14th is the first of a tough second half of the season for Miami. It will be the Hurricanes' first conference road game which should be a hostile environment in Chapel Hill.

North Carolina has won four straight games against Miami and last won in Chapel Hill in 2017. Tar Heels lead the all-time series 13-11.

The Hurricanes kept it close with the Heels last year, but Drake Maye's 309 passing yards (including a 74-yarder to J.J. Jones) and 53 yards on the ground would prove to be the difference in the 27-24 result. Van Dyke actually completed 42 of 57 passes for 496 yards in that game - the second most in school history.

Twelve UNC players were named to Phil Steele’s preseason All-ACC team. ACC player of the year Maye, linebacker Cedric Gray, and punter Ben Kiernan were first team. Linebacker Power Echols and deep snapper Drew Little were second team, while receiver Nate McCollum and former Miami offensive lineman Corey Gaynor was named to the third team.

Maye returns and like Van Dyke will have a new offensive coordinator this season. This could very well be another shootout and be indicative of how the rest of the season will play out.

It was perhaps the most embarrassing loss of the season and in the all-time series against Florida State last year. The 45-3 loss was certainly the lowest point of the season and Miami will have to travel to Tallahassee in 2023 against a FSU team that is dripping with confidence.

Defensive end Jared Verse, is projected to be a first-team All-American, and wide receiver Johnny Wilson, is projected to make the third team. Running back Trey Benson is an All-ACC selection and quarterback Jordan Travis was a second-team All-ACC selection.

These games usually are close, but the Noles should be heavy favorites going into this one.

You would have to go back to 2010 when the Hurricanes last beat the Tigers and 2009 when they last beat them at home. Despite four straight embarrassing losses by a combined point total of 178-30, Clemson only leads the all-time series by one game (7-6). Last year's 40-10 debacle further proves just how far the Hurricanes are from the Tigers.

The defense had two first-team All-Americans named by Phil Steele in defensive tackle Tyler Davis and linebacker Barrett Carter. Arguably the top player on the Tigers’ defense, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who was a second-team All-American from the Associated Press as a sophomore in 2022, was listed as a third-team member for Steele.

On offense, the Tigers’ lone preseason All-American was star running back Will Shipley, who earned third-team honors.

The Cade Klubnik era will officially begin in 2023 for the Tigers with DJ Uiagalelei transferring to Oregon State. Klubnik has something to prove after a shaky performance against Tennessee in the Orange Bowl but did perform well against North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game.

Clemson’s switch to new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley should help Klubnik.

At this point, Miami just wants to look competitive against Clemson, and if they are able to achieve that can be considered as a moral victory. The Hurricanes are currently 7.5 point underdogs.

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