Hurricanes 2015 football schedule: Home slate includes Nebraska, Clemson
In what the University of Miami football program hopes is a bounce-back year, nine of its 12 opponents in 2015 played in 2014 bowls. Three of them finished in the Associated Press' Top 25 rankings.
The Atlantic Coast Conference released its schedule on Thursday morning, allowing the Hurricanes' entire slate to take shape.
Miami opens the season Sept. 5 by hosting Bethune-Cookman at newly renovated Sun Life Stadium. After visiting Florida Atlantic the following week and closing out the home-and-home series with Nebraska, Miami gets a bye week to prepare for a tough stretch in October.
The Hurricanes will close out 2015 with nine consecutive games.
Cincinnati hosts on Oct. 3 for a primetime Thursday contest.
Miami then travels to rival Florida State seeking to snap a five-game skid in the series. The Seminoles finished this past season in the College Football Playoff and ranked No. 5. However, they lose several key player from 2014's team, including QB Jameis Winston, who led FSU to a 26-1 record the past two seasons.
Virginia Tech visits South Florida on Oct. 17 also looking to rebound from a down year.
Miami and Clemson, which ended 2014 No. 15 in the AP poll, will meet on Oct. 24 for the first time since 2010 and 10th time overall. In 2010, the Hurricanes won 30-21. They lead the all-time series 6-3.
On Halloween, Miami travels to Duke -- the Coastal Division's 2013 champion and UM's nemesis the past two seasons.
Virginia, who has beaten Miami in four of the last five matchups, comes to Sun Life Stadium the following Saturday.
The Hurricanes then visit North Carolina where they have won their last two times.
In possibly the biggest Coastal Division game, Miami hosts reigning champion Georgia Tech on Nov. 21. When the Yellow Jackets bested the Hurricanes 28-17 in 2014, it set them up for a trip to the ACC championship. Georgia Tech ranked No. 8 in the final AP poll after beating Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl.
Pittsburgh and Miami face off on Black Friday in the regular-season finale for the third straight year, this time with Pennsylvania as the setting.
Should the Hurricanes win the Coastal Division, they would compete in their first ACC title game on Dec. 5 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Sept. 5 -- Bethune-Cookman
Sept. 12 -- at Florida Atlantic
Sept. 19 -- Nebraska
Sept. 26 -- Bye week
Oct. 1 -- at Cincinnati
Oct. 10 -- at Florida State
Oct. 17 -- Virginia Tech
Oct. 24 -- Clemson
Oct. 31 -- at Duke
Nov. 7 -- Virginia
Nov. 14 -- at North Carolina
Nov. 21 -- Georgia Tech
Nov. 27 -- at Pittsburgh
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
