Miami Athletic Communications

Football

Week 1 Friday Preview: No. 7 Miami Visits Stanford for ACC Football Friday Matchup

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The ACC’s first Friday night football matchup of the 2026 season features No. 7 Miami traveling to Stanford on Friday, September 4, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. The conference contest continues a stretch of five straight days of ACC football over Labor Day weekend, with 14 teams competing across 12 games from Thursday through Monday.
 
Week 1 action begins with two non-conference showdowns on Thursday, September 3, followed by seven games on Saturday, September 5, a neutral-site top-25 showdown on Sunday, September 6, and a Labor Day ACC matchup between No. 19 SMU and Florida State.
 
Friday, September 4
#7 Miami at Stanford | 9 p.m. ET
Series: Miami leads series, 1-0
Last meeting: Miami, 42-7 (2025)
TV: ESPN
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 167 / SiriusXM 84
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 167 / SiriusXM 84
 
  • Friday marks Miami’s first-ever trip to Stanford Stadium and just the second meeting between the programs. Miami won the inaugural matchup, 42-7, in 2025.
  • The game will also mark the 2026 ACC opener for both Miami and Stanford.
  • No. 7 Miami enters the year as the preseason favorite to win the ACC after advancing to last season’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game and finishing 13-3.
  • The Hurricanes will feature another new quarterback in Darian Mensah, the 2026 ACC Preseason Player of the Year after leading Duke to the ACC Championship last season.
  • Mensah led the ACC and ranked second nationally with 3,973 passing yards in 2025 while throwing an ACC-best 34 touchdown passes. He joins an explosive Miami offense that returns wide receiver Malachi Toney and running back Mark Fletcher Jr., while adding Mensah’s former Duke target Cooper Barkate.
  • Stanford enters the matchup with a game already under its belt, having opened the Tavita Pritchard era with a 37-27 victory over Hawai'i in Week 0.
  • Michigan transfer Davis Warren impressed in his Stanford debut, completing 22-of-34 passes for 310 yards and a touchdown without a turnover. He was the only FBS quarterback to surpass 300 passing yards during Week 0 and became Stanford’s first quarterback since Andrew Luck in 2010 to throw for 300-plus yards with a touchdown and no turnovers in a season opener.
  • Stanford running back Micah Ford rushed for 99 yards and three touchdowns against Hawai'i, earning ACC Running Back of the Week honors. Ford became the first Cardinal player since Bryce Love in 2017 to rush for at least 90 yards and three touchdowns in a game.