Sports

ACC Ignores Mario Cristobal To Profit On Miami Football

#Miami Hurricanes
by
Mario Cristobal / Miami Hurricanes

© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images


The ACC football schedules have dropped for the upcoming 2026 season. Mario Cristobal is likely unhappy with the result.

The league ignored a suggestion on the topic made by the coach just a few months prior. The Miami Hurricanes will be used as a television draw after a national title run.

The conference unveiled its future slates during a two-hour special of ACC Huddle. There is both change and excitement surrounding the season.

The ACC will move to a nine-game league format in ’26. It will also feature a pair of international contests.

The season opens with a trip to South America. North Carolina State and Virginia will face off in Brazil, representing a first in college football.

North Carolina, meanwhile, will match up with TCU in Dublin.

The ACC wants interesting football games.

They’ve achieved that with scheduling changes mentioned above. Another shift includes a push for Friday Night Lights.

“There will be no shortage of excitement surrounding the 2026 ACC Football season… In collaboration with our television partners, we will continue to showcase every game throughout the season, including the strongest Friday slate in ACC history.”

-ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips

An emphasis has been placed on this initiative throughout the last few years. Much of the talk has surrounded season-ending rivalry games.

In recent years, Georgia Tech has played Georgia on Black Friday. Florida and Florida State will do the same next season.

There were also a number of notable in-conference matchups to provide viewers with a precursor to the college football weekend. That will continue in ’26 despite some backlash.

Some coaches have voiced their opposition of late. Clemson, for example, refused to move its regular season finale with South Carolina in 2024. The ACC responded by giving them a noon kickoff.

There are many things that go into the line of thinking. Some prefer to keep the Friday night spotlight on high school football.

The Tigers, meanwhile, cited logistical nightmares and staffing complications that would come from moving a home game in a small town from a weekend to the workday.

The ACC has made their stance clear on the subject. Television revenue is king.

This (Friday night scheduling) cooperation maximizes the value of our relationship with our media partner and strengthens our collective future.

The league is using Miami to profit.

Mario Cristobal is also against playing on Thursdays and Fridays. He said as much in a recent sit-down with Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway.

“I would love to eliminate Thursday and Friday games,” he stated. “College football is for Saturday. That drives me bananas.”

The ACC ignored that suggestion when making Miami’s next football schedule. The Hurricanes will play 1/3 of their games during the week.

Miami plays one Thursday night game and three Friday night games in 2026, including each of the first three matchups.

They’ll start the season on Friday against Stanford before a Thursday showdown with FAMU. Week 3 sees another Friday night contest vs. Wake Forest.

Later in the year, another Friday night game will be played against Virginia Tech.

Miami is the league’s hottest brand at the moment. They are fresh off a national title run and positioned to continue success with the addition of QB Darian Mensah. The ACC is looking to cash in.

Miami was the most-watched team in the conference this past year. The league also saw success in non-traditional television spots.

Six of the ACC’s Top 11 regular season games, in terms of viewership, were played on either Friday, Sunday, or Monday. Three of those featured the ‘Canes.

The ACC will spotlight its top program in standalone primetime contests next year. All eyes should be on the league each of those Friday nights. There will be no Saturday competition.

That should benefit the conference in terms of television partnerships. It will do so with the disapproval of Mario Cristobal.