No. 7 Miami defeated FCS opponent Florida A&M 77-7 in their Thursday night home opener, a rout so lopsided that both coaching staffs agreed to shorten the fourth quarter once the outcome was beyond doubt. The blowout has reignited debate over whether FBS powerhouses should continue scheduling FCS teams, particularly given how the transfer portal and NIL payments have widened the talent gap between top programmes and smaller schools, which typically play these fixtures for a guaranteed payday rather than any realistic chance of competing.

Miami led 14-0 within five minutes and scored a touchdown on all seven first-half possessions before adding four more in the third quarter, while Florida A&M managed just two first downs in the opening half. Starting quarterback Darian Mensah threw three touchdowns with a single incompletion, and Miami's second- and third-string quarterbacks kept up the scoring, with the Hurricanes finishing with 856 total yards to Florida A&M's roughly 100.