No. 7 Miami Travels Across the Country to Take On Stanford

The No. 7 Miami Hurricanes are kicking off the 2026 college football season with a long trip across the country. They flew to California two days earlier than usual to get ready for their opener against Stanford on Friday night. It is only the eighth time Miami has played a regular season game in California. The Hurricanes want to be well-rested and ready to face the Cardinal.

Coach Mario Cristobal and his staff worked hard to plan the trip. They talked to NFL teams that travel cross-country a lot to figure out the best approach. The plan is similar to what Miami did before the Fiesta Bowl last season. Running back Mark Fletcher said the team's sports science staff is helping players with their bodies and nutrition. 'The message that Cristobal gives us is just taking that mindset, taking our Miami culture with us,' Fletcher said.

This game is especially meaningful for Miami's new starting quarterback, Darian Mensah. He grew up near California's Central Coast, just a few hours from Stanford's campus. Mensah transferred to Miami from Duke after last season. Last year, he led all power conference quarterbacks with 3,973 passing yards and threw 34 touchdown passes. He is excited to play near home, but he says his mind is on winning. 'It's a business trip,' he said.

Mensah also has a chance to keep a special streak alive. Every Miami quarterback who made his first start for the Hurricanes over the last seven years won that game. Mensah also won his first starts at both Tulane and Duke. In those two debut games, he completed 37 of 46 passes for 594 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

For Stanford, this game is a big test early in new coach Tavita Pritchard's time leading the team. The Cardinal won their opener against Hawaii and now face a top-10 ranked team. Stanford has struggled against ranked opponents, losing 18 of its last 19 such games. They have not beaten a top-10 team since 2021, when they defeated then No. 3 Oregon in overtime. Pritchard says every game is a chance to learn more about his team.

Stanford's new transfer quarterback, Davis Warren, had a strong first game. He threw for a career-high 310 yards against Hawaii and led the game-winning drive with no turnovers. Warren played for Michigan in 2024 but looks much more comfortable in his new role. Coach Pritchard praised Warren for reading the defense well and finding open receivers. 'When it really counted, he did a nice job of punching that ball in to take the lead back,' Pritchard said.

One fun fact about Miami's schedule is that the Hurricanes are not playing on Saturdays to start the season. College football games are usually played on Saturdays, but Miami's first three games are on a Friday, a Thursday, and another Friday. The last time an FBS team opened with three straight non-Saturday games was Wake Forest in 2019. The Demon Deacons went 3-0 in those three Friday night games. Miami hopes to follow that same winning example.