Nine Conference Game Move Kills Home and Home For Miami and SEC Foe
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The University of Miami and the University of South Carolina football programs announced Monday that they have mutually agreed to cancel their home-and-home football series for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
The Hurricanes were scheduled to play at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C., in 2026 with the Gamecocks making the trip to Hard Rock Stadium in 2027.
Miami’s three 2026 non-conference games are Florida A&M (home), Central Michigan (home), and Notre Dame (away). South Carolina has a non-conference home game against Towson and a road game at Clemson on its 2026 slate. Both the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference are moving to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026.
Read More: Miami Schedule Was the Perfect Model As the ACC Goes to Nine Conference Games
"We have been incredibly intentional throughout our discussions on ACC Football, including the future of our conference schedule," ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said about the move to nine games.
"The athletic directors of the 17 football-playing institutions overwhelmingly supported a regular season schedule that includes nine conference games and a minimum of 10 games each year against Power 4 opponents. This positions the ACC as one of only two leagues committed to having every team annually play a minimum of 10 games against Power 4 teams.
"There will be additional discussions and more details to be determined, but today's decision showcases the commitment and leadership of our ADs in balancing what is best for strengthening the conference and their respective programs. As specified in the Conference constitution, the model will be presented to the Faculty Athletics Representatives for formal adoption."
How Does This Affect the Miami Hurricanes?
This season, the Hurricanes had to perfect a model of what the schedule should look like for every team around the country. They have eight conference games, but they also played two Power 4 schools, Notre Dame and Florida.
UM was not running from any competition, they embraced it.
The Hurricanes have had the perfect model ever since Mario Cristobal returned to Coral Gables as a head coach. He has gone 3-0 against the SEC in this time and continued to show that the Hurricanes are not a team that should be overlooked.
The Canes will now have a chance to focus on dominating the league, and with the expanded playoff system, it will be the perfect time for the Canes to show that this new era will not take some schools as lightly as others.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.