The Miami Hurricanes have looked the part of the No. 4 team in the nation so far. Four games into the 2026 season and only one of their opponents has managed to score double-digit points, while the offense has accrued a wicked 207 points. That's elevated transfer quarterback Darian Mensah into the Heisman Trophy conversation as well as floated the idea of last year's national runners-up finishing the job this season.
However, are the Hurricanes truly a category five threat or will they fizzle out as soon as the team faces solid opposition? Week 5 offers the first true test of that question as Miami travels to face Clemson in Death Valley. Despite the Tigers' weak start to the campaign (3-1), head coach Dabo Swinney is never to be completely counted out of any contest. Miami will have to still be on full alert lest it fall victim to an undesirable upset early in the campaign.
Head coach Mario Cristobal's boys have traveled twice so far this season — once to Palo Alto, California to face Stanford and then Winston-Salem, North Carolina to play Wake Forest — both of which did not particularly meet the criteria for challenging stadium pulses. Death Valley is a traditional cathedral of the sport and no matter Clemson's record, the fanbase will still turn out in droves to get noisy.
No. 4 Miami faces true trap game in Week 5 against Clemson
The Tigers may have struggled against lesser opponents to begin the year — needing a fourth quarter comeback to beat North Carolina 28-20 and only scoring 22 points against Georgia Southern — but there's reason to believe Swinney will have his guys amped to step up to Miami's challenge. Weirder things happen week to week in this sport and a Clemson team that feels like it's been counted out already is the most dangerous opponent possible.
Miami has the top offense in the game. It's averaging 588.8 yards per game and piling up the points like it's nothing. However, that has been against cupcake opposition to date. Don't be surprised if the Hurricanes roll in thinking they can coast against the Clemson defense that has given up 214.8 yards per game through the air.
The Tigers may hemmorhage yardage, but they've only given up 22 points per game this year. That's not a ceiling Miami is accustomed to crouching under, but if Mensah and Co. are frustrated early, Clemson will be playing exactly the game it wants. Getting Miami to slug things out in the trenches, keeping the scoreline close deep into regulation gives Clemson its best chance of success and we still haven't seen how the Hurricanes will respond to adversity.
Clemson could offer the perfect storm of uncertainty and intensity that Miami just hasn't encountered yet this season. It'll be Mensah's opportunity to prove he should be in the Heisman conversation and the Hurricanes are a legitimate ACC and CFP contender. At the moment they seem to be penciled in as the conference's representative in the 12-team bracket by default since other challengers like Louisville and SMU have already begun cannibalizing one another.
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