Miami vs. Notre Dame Preview: Unbeaten No. 1 Hurricanes Visit South Bend Without Malachi Toney

Undefeated Miami plays at Notre Dame on Saturday night, Nov. 7, in one of the biggest games of the college football weekend. NBC lists kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, on NBC and Peacock.

The game has major College Football Playoff stakes. Miami (8-0, 6-0 ACC) is ranked No. 1. Notre Dame (7-1) was No. 11 in the first CFP rankings, according to CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated. An AP betting story referred to the Irish as No. 4, so the ranking you see depends on which poll is cited.

This is a preview. The game had not started at the time of publishing, and this post will be updated with the result.

Kickoff time and how to watch

• Date: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026
• Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET, per NBC. Sports Illustrated’s game page listed 6:30 p.m. ET, so check local listings.
• Where: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
• TV/stream: NBC and Peacock
• Broadcast team: Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Kathryn Tappen and Caroline Pineda (sidelines), and Terry McAulay (rules), per NBC

Miami without Malachi Toney

Miami’s biggest storyline is who isn’t playing. Star receiver Malachi Toney suffered a high-ankle sprain in practice this week and had surgery. CBS Sports, citing sources, reported that he’s expected to miss four to six weeks. That rules him out for the rest of the regular season, but he could be back for the ACC Championship Game or the playoff.

Before the injury, Toney led the ACC with 73 catches, 1,027 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns, according to CBS. Duke transfer Cooper Barkate is the most obvious receiver to step up. Sports Illustrated noted that Barkate had more than 1,100 receiving yards at Duke last season with the same quarterback, Darian Mensah.

The quarterback matchup

Mensah, a Heisman candidate, leads the nation with 25 touchdown passes and has thrown just one interception, per NBC and CBS. NBC reported that Miami averages more than 500 yards per game, over 300 of them through the air.

Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr has 18 touchdown passes and one interception, according to NBC. The Irish defense has allowed just 236 yards per game. Their one loss came against BYU.

What the betting market says

Even with the No. 1 ranking, Miami is an underdog. The AP called that a rarity for a top-ranked team. Sports Illustrated listed Miami at +7.5 with a total of 55.5 points, citing FanDuel. Lines can vary by sportsbook.

A rivalry with recent history

Notre Dame leads the all-time series 17-9-1, according to SI. The rivalry peaked when Lou Holtz’s Irish and Jimmy Johnson’s Hurricanes were both fixtures in the national title race, NBC noted.

The teams met in last season’s opener, and Miami won 27-24. NBC reported that the Hurricanes went on to reach the national championship game, where they lost to Indiana. Notre Dame, coached by Marcus Freeman, missed the playoff.

Why this game matters

Miami is one of only three undefeated teams left in the playoff race, along with UCLA and Utah, NBC reported. CBS noted that if Miami wins, its last three regular-season games are at home against Duke, Virginia Tech and Boston College. For Notre Dame, CBS said a home win over the No. 1 team would give the Irish the signature victory they need after starting at No. 11 in the CFP rankings.

Sports Illustrated’s forecast called for partly cloudy skies with temperatures below 50 degrees at kickoff, dropping through the night.

FAQ