College football's week zero gave Miami Hurricanes fans a chance to sit back and watch three future 2026 opponents.
Matchups against Florida State North Carolina will have to wait a little longer, with the Stanford Cardinal up first for the Canes.
Stanford managed to grind out a 37-27 win at home against Hawaii on Saturday. A late scoop and score by Cardinal linebacker Tevarua Tafiti made the scoreboard look more comfortable, but in reality it was a nail-biter, as Hawaii had the ball down three with 90 seconds to play.
My big takeaways, good and bad, are these:
The good:
-Stanford didn't fold when trailing 27-23 late in the fourth quarter. You can certainly view it as a character building win to start the era of new head coach Tavita Pritchard, a Stanford alum.
-Transfer QB Davis Warren looks like a clear upgrade over former starter Ben Gulbranson. Warren, a starter at Michigan in 2024, had a career night with 310 yards passing. He had one touchdown and no interceptions.
-RB Micah Ford is Built Ford Tough. He picked up physical yardage with 99 rushing yards and 3 TD's. He became the first Stanford player to rush for three touchdowns in a game since Bryce Love in 2-17. Facing Ford will provide a good early-season measuring stick for Miami's tackling.
The bad:
-Stanford lost their starting center, Aiden Kilstrom, to a third quarter injury. He was carted off the field. His status for Friday against Miami hasn't been disclosed, but things don't appear promising for a quick return. The Cardinal faced Hawaii without starting left tackle Niki Prongos (undisclosed reasons) and starting right guard Simione Pale (undisclosed injury). Prongos appears likely to play against Miami, since his situation is non-injury related. We will wait for further updates on Pale throughout the week. If the Stanford OL is severely banged up versus Miami, it could spell trouble for them against the Canes' vaunted defensive front.
-Stanford's defense looks SLOW. Their pass coverage was primarily soft, especially from linebackers, and the tackling angles appeared poor at times. If they're unable to generate steady pressure on Darian Mensah, the intermediate passing game through Malachi Toney, Cooper Barkate and TE Elijah Lofton could chew their defense apart. Stanford created just two sacks against the Rainbow Warriors.
The feeling:
Stanford's debut didn't change my opinion one way or the other about what Miami can do against them. Had I seen more speed, swarming, and violence from the Cardinal defense, I might be inclined to expect the game to be tighter than I did before Saturday. The Hurricanes' explosive offense should be able to dictate the tone of the contest. Defensively, I expect the Hurricanes to collapse the pocket and create consistent chaos.
The Hurricanes are favored by 24 and a half points, and I expect Mario Cristobal's team to cover.
