Times remain up in the air, but the dates are set and ‘The U’ knows how it’ll spend eleven Saturdays and one Thursday this fall as the official 2012 Miami Hurricanes football schedule has been released.
The schedule isn’t as brutal as it’s been the past few years, but it’s no cakewalk, either. Out of conference Miami gets a road trip to Kansas State (September 8th), a home game against Bethune-Cookman (September 15th) and a “neutral” showdown against Notre Dame in Chicago (October 6th).
Sandwiched in-between, a road trip to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech (September 22nd) and an ACC Atlantic foe headed south in NC State (September 29th).
The home schedule will rock for three straight home games starting game seven when North Carolina heads to town (October 13th). Next up, Florida State (October 20th) and then a bye before a Thursday night, nationally televised ESPN showdown against Virginia Tech (November 1st).
Miami closes out the final month of football at Virginia (November 10th), hosting South Florida (November 17th) and at Duke (November 24th).
The whole thing starts where last season ended — a showdown at Boston College (September 1st). UM travels to Chestnut Hill on Labor Day weekend to take on the Eagles. At one point there were rumors of a Monday night showdown, but with the Miami taking on Kansas State the second Saturday of the season, a short week would’ve been a brutal turnaround, so the season starts on a Saturday and with back-to-back road games.
Nothing will be easy about the 2012 schedule, but in the same breath nothing is ridiculously daunting. Miami gets its toughest conference foes at home — North Carolina, Florida State and Virginia Tech — and while Kansas State and Notre Dame are formidable out of conference opponents, they’re not necessarily road trips to Alabama or Oklahoma.
Still, with fifty of eight kids on Miami’s roster being underclassmen, this is going to be a very young team that will be battle-tested early and must hit the ground running.
Three of four road games to start the season doesn’t seem logical, though. Boston College and Kansas State away, home for Bethune-Cookman and then off to Georgia Tech … let’s just say it’s not the Seminoles school of scheduling. FSU opens with four straight home games – Murray State, Savannah State, Wake Forest and Clemson.
The ACC will most-likely again have Florida State and Virginia Tech at the top and Miami will face both, earning a right to settle all scores on the field.
Another exciting season will be in store and with spring football directly around the corner — action kicks off this Saturday — there’s legitimate buzz in the air regarding Al Golden and his 2012 Miami Hurricanes. Stay tuned.