MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — A revitalized rivalry is drawing attention as a packed stadium welcomes teams vying for College Football Playoff spots, all under the national spotlight in a prime-time showdown.
That’s how many might describe the meeting between No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 10 Miami when they collide in a season-opener on Sunday night.
Notre Dame reached last season’s CFP national title game, while Miami felt overlooked by the 12-team selection committee. Notre Dame’s starting QB, CJ Carr, will be seeing his first college game action, while Miami brings in Carson Beck from Georgia, who has been part of two national championship teams and is well-acquainted with high-stake games like this.
“What a way to start the college football season,” said Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman. “We relish this opportunity. Notre Dame is about facing challenges like this, especially in Week 1 with everyone watching you take on a formidable opponent. It’s what every competitor dreams of.”
Miami has the same perspective.
“This is one of the games you sign up for as a Hurricane,” offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa said.
This marks their first face-off since Miami’s dominant 41-8 victory in 2017. Notre Dame initially dominated, going 12-1-1 in the early matchups, but the last 45 years have been much tighter, with Miami holding a slight 7-6 lead in the recent encounters.
“It should be just as intense as a Miami game deserves to be… We anticipate a loud and lively atmosphere,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal stated, “and we wholeheartedly welcome that.”
At Miami
From different perspectives, Notre Dame’s success at Miami is a matter of timing. In the last six visits, they are 0-6 “at” Miami, yet they triumphed in a CFP semifinal against Penn State on January 9 at Hard Rock Stadium – the venue for Sunday’s game.
Title ties
Notre Dame’s three most recent national championship seasons (1973, 1977, 1988) all were ones where the Fighting Irish beat the Hurricanes. Miami’s first three national championship seasons (1983, 1987, 1989) all were ones where the Hurricanes got a home win over the Irish.
Top 10 openers
This is the ninth time that Notre Dame has opened a season as part of a matchup of teams ranked 10th or higher in the opening AP poll, with its most recent such matchup coming against Ohio State in 2002. Miami is part of a top-10 opener for the fifth time, its first since 2004 against Florida State.
Rare Sunday game
Miami hasn’t played on a Sunday since opening the 2018 against LSU in Arlington, Texas. It’ll be Notre Dame’s first Sunday game since it kicked off the 2021 campaign at Florida State. And this matchup is only the sixth top-10 game in the last 50 years to be played on a Sunday; three of the other five in that span were bowl games.
Hello, again
Only in the transfer portal era would this be possible. Notre Dame has four players – receiver Malachi Fields (formerly of Virginia), defensive back Jalen Stroman (Virginia Tech), defensive tackle Jared Dawson (Louisville) and kicker Noah Burnette (North Carolina) – who have already played against both the Irish and the Hurricanes. Miami linebacker Jaylin Alderman (formerly of Louisville) has also been on the field against both the Hurricanes and Irish.
When is the game?
Kickoff between No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 10 Miami is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 31 at 7:37 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
How can fans watch?
Fans can catch all the action on ABC and in the NCAA football streaming hub.
ESPN contributed to this report.
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