Though it took a couple of seasons to lay the foundation, Mario Cristobal has proven his supporters correct and has Miami back on top of the mountain as an overwhelming favorite to win the ACC and a contender for the national championship. That's the kind of rapid ascent that comes with winning 23 games over the last two seasons and making a run all the way to the national championship game in 2025. Miami was already winning battles on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, but now that the talent has jelled, "The U" has regained its swagger.
The Hurricanes enter 2026 with higher expectations than we have seen for much of the school's ACC era (since 2004). And it's with that context that we find Miami making its season debut in a conference opener on the road, looking to secure the first of many wins that would allow the Hurricanes to live up to the expectation of being the ACC favorite. Stanford is welcoming the cross-country visitors, having already played and won its first game of the Tavita Pritchard era, as the Cardinal is similarly hoping that an alum might have the key to unlocking a return to greatness.
Stanford checked a lot of boxes in its Week 0 win: The Cardinal were able to secure their first win under new coach Tavita Pritchard, but also got a great performance from new starting quarterback Davis Warren. The former Michigan quarterback completed 22-of-34 passes for 310 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Warren had the second-best yards-per-attempt (9.1) of any Week 0 quarterback, trailing only Jayden Maiava, and he did so spreading the ball around with eight different pass catchers recording multiple targets.
Warren will face a much tougher test against Miami, but his confidence should be high after a strong debut. Preseason ACC Player of the Year steps into the spotlight: Miami quarterback Darian Mensah led Duke on a surprise run to the ACC Championship in 2025. Now he's transferred to a school that is so deeply expected to be in the mix it would be a massive surprise if Miami isn't at least playing for the ACC Championship in December.
Mensah was selected as the league's preseason Player of the Year, and now he'll get a chance to live up to that billing with an offense that should be an upgrade at several positions when it comes to the supporting cast. Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher Jr. are both back after successful seasons last year, but Mensah also has some continuity of his own with former Duke wide receiver Cooper Barkate making the portal jump alongside his quarterback. Anything short of 30 points would be a disappointment for fans given the hype, and when you're the preseason POY, every game is a measuring stick on those expectations.
General (Manager) Luck has assembled a squad that will fight: General manager Andrew Luck has poured himself into the effort to build back Stanford football to the role of competitive contender. We saw Luck at the introductory press conference for Tavita Pritchard, at multiple preseason events and in the season-opening win, he was even out with the training staff to help an injured player off the field. The Cardinal didn't sign a blockbuster portal class, but it's clear the evaluations (like with Davis Warren) and player development with Pritchard's new staff have hit.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
