Breaking down Miami’s game-by-game schedule for the 2022 college football season
The first year of the Mario Cristobal era, as always, sets up nicely for the Miami Hurricanes to chase double-digit wins and a trip to the ACC Championship Game.
Miami’s schedule includes a trip to College Station, Texas, for a showdown with a Southeastern Conference opponent and a handful of other ranked matchups with Atlantic Coast Conference rivals, including the Clemson Tigers.
Altogether, it will give Cristobal a chance to both get tested in Year 1, but also find immediate success in his debut season as coach in Coral Gables.
Sept. 3 vs. Bethune-Cookman ( 3:30 p.m., ACCN): Cristobal gets to kick off his tenure with an easy win in the Hurricanes’ annual FCS tune-up at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami 42-6
Sept. 10 vs. Southern Miss (noon, ACCN): The Hurricanes keep building toward their marquee match-up with Texas A&M by making sure star tackle Zion Nelson is ready to go for Week 3. They also get another blowout win in Miami Gardens. Miami 38-10
Sept. 17 at Texas A&M (9 p.m., ESPN): It’s the first real test of the Cristobal era and the new coach has the quarterback to go to Texas A&M, battle preseason All-American cornerback Antonio Johnson and the Aggies’ talented defense, and win. Miami 31-21
Sept. 24 vs. Middle Tennessee: The Hurricanes rout another mid-major opponent to close out nonconference play before a bye week. Miami 42-13
Oct. 8 vs. North Carolina: The Tar Heels are one of the few teams in the Coastal division with the talent to match the Hurricanes. North Carolina will try to slow quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and star tight end Will Mallory with maybe the conference’s best secondary. North Carolina 31-28
Oct. 15 at Virginia Tech: Tech has a new coach, too, and it feels like the Hokies’ rebuild will take a little bit longer, although a bounce-back season from star cornerback Dorian Strong would help. Miami 34-17
Oct. 22 vs. Duke: The Blue Devils might be the worst team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. This will be a nice reprieve in the middle of an otherwise tricky five-week stretch. Miami 41-10
Oct. 29 at Virginia: Two of the league’s top four offenses (according to SP+ projections) will clash, and it could be a shootout. Miami 49-24
Nov. 5 vs. Florida State: Cristobal is no stranger to this rivalry, so he knows these games are always closer than they should be, especially because there is some talent in the secondary for FSU. Still, the Hurricanes should get revenge for last year. Miami 28-17
Nov. 12 at Georgia Tech: The loss of star running back Jahmyr Gibbs to the Alabama Crimson Tide could be crippling for Georgia Tech, which is struggling to build on coach Geoff Collins’ early recruiting success. Miami 45-20
Nov. 19 at Clemson: Even after a disappointing 2021 season, Clemson is still the team to beat in the ACC and, with star defensive tackles Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy, it has the front seven to disrupt the Hurricanes’ offense. This will be a big test for Zion Nelson. Clemson 35-17
Nov. 26 vs. Pittsburgh: Like the Tigers, Pittsburgh has a defensive line capable of wrecking an offensive game plan. The Panthers just don’t have the same across-the-board talent as Clemson. Miami 34-24
