One of the two games that kept Notre Dame from the College Football Playoff last year may have just as high implications for this coming season.
The Nov. 7th meeting between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Miami Hurricanes has already been heralded as one of the “Juiciest” matchups of the 2026 season by Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman on their On3 show.
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The matchup will follow up the thriller from last year when Miami edged Notre Dame 27-24 on a late field goal in what was a top-10 showdown that set the tone for both teams’ seasons. Miami used that victory to catapult them into a season that ended with them losing in the national title game to the Indiana Hoosiers. The Irish then lost the following week to the Texas A&M Aggies then rattled off ten straight wins. Many considered the last spot in the CFP to have come down to these two teams, and Miami was selected then Irish decided to not participate in the postseason.
What makes next year’s matchup so intriguing is that both teams look to be equally as strong. CBS Sports has Miami pegged as the No. 1 seed and Notre Dame as the No. 2 seed in a way-too-early playoff bracket. Miami loses their quarterback Carson Beck, but replaced him with former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah whom will pair with dynamic receiver Malachi Toney in leading an explosive Miami offense. To counter, Notre Dame will bring back a lot from a defense that allowed just 17 points per game in 2025.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Could Notre Dame’s rematch with Miami be even bigger this season?
