Miami Hurricanes vs. Stanford: How to Watch, Injury Report and What to Watch in Season Opener

Miami Hurricanes football is officially back, and the Hurricanes are set to start their season in Stanford to take on the Cardinals. The Canes enter the 2026 season with high hopes as they finished as runner ups to the Indiana Hoosiers last season. The Canes are favored amongst the ACC and begin the season ranked seventh.

The Hurricanes will look much different on the field this season after losing many key players to the NFL Draft and graduation, but that doesn’t change their expectations. They still bring back a strong offensive core highlighted by Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher Jr. while they brought in Darien Mensah to play quarterback for the Canes. He also brought along his standout target from Duke Cooper Barkate who  had 72 catches for 1,106 yards and seven TDs in 2025.

The Hurricanes offense will once again be one of the Nation’s best, and they should have no problem handling the Cardinals once again.

The Biggest thing to watch for the Hurricanes comes from their offensive line and their defense. The offensive line lost three very very good starters to the NFL Draft with Francis Mauigoa going 10th overall to the New York Giants, Markell Bell in the third round to Philadelphia, and guard Anez Cooper to the New York Jets. Stanford defense did a good job holding Hawaii to only 46 rushing yards –although the game script didn’t call for it at all times– and they got the quarterback twice. Miami should be able to handle a weaker Stanford front, but either way it’s a place to watch.

The next thing is their defense. The biggest strength of the Canes last year was their defense, and the question is, can they be as strong as they were last year? Their defensive front will be just as strong, they brought back a core linebacker in Mohamed Toure, and their ultimate test will be to prove they can still dominate the trenches and create turnovers.

Prediction

I predict the Hurricanes to take care of business in dominating fashion on the road. While Andrew Luck and the Cardinals started with a win, the Hurricanes star power will be too much, 41-13 Hurricanes.

How to Watch

Who: No. 7 Miami (0-0) at Stanford (1-0)

When: Friday, September 4th @ 9 p.m. EST

Where:  Stanford, California

TV: ESPN

Series history: Miami leads, 1-0

Last meeting: Last season was the first time both programs faced off. The Hurricanes ran all over the Cardinals last year in route to a 42-7 victory.

Injury Notes:

Miami OUT: RB Jordan Lyle DB Ja’Boree Antoine DB Dylan Day TE Luka Gilbert

Stanford Out: OLB Dylan Stephenson, WR Carter Shaw, CB Jason Hill Jr., K London Bironas, DB Zaiden McDonald, WR Daylen Sharper, CB Chris Garland, CB Breylan Thompson, CB Jack Duckworth, CB Aaron Morris, DL Jacobi Murray, OL Aidan Kilstrom, OL Nathan Mejia, DL Brendan Delaney, OL Nick Fattig and TE Reiman Zebert, while WR Caden High and OL Simione Pale are questionable.