CORAL GABLES, Fla. – First-year Miami head coach Mark Richt will meet a familiar foe and face the team that gave him his coaching start in back-to-back weekends this year.
The Hurricanes will travel to Georgia Tech and host rival Florida State in the first two Atlantic Coast Conference games of the 2016 season.
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Miami's football schedule, which was released Tuesday, also includes a Thursday night game at Virginia Tech and an Oct. 29 trip to Notre Dame.
Four of Miami's first six games are at Sun Life Stadium, including the Oct. 8 date with the Seminoles and a visit from North Carolina the next weekend. Florida State has won six in a row against the Hurricanes, and the Tar Heels won the ACC Coastal Division title last season.
The Hurricanes begin the season with consecutive home games against state teams Florida A&M and Florida Atlantic. Their first road game is a Sept. 17 trip to Appalachian State. The Moutaineers were 11-2 last season.
After a week off, Miami opens its ACC slate against the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta. Richt, who spent the previous 15 seasons at Georgia, has had previous success against the team he used to face annually. The Bulldogs were 13-2 versus Georgia Tech under Richt.
Miami will host Florida State in its first ACC home game the next weekend. Richt got his coaching start at FSU under legendary head coach Bobby Bowden, first as a graduate assistant and later as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. During his time in Tallahassee, Richt coached two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks (Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke) and won a pair of national championships (1993 and 1999).
Richt's only previous meeting against his former team was in the 2003 Sugar Bowl. The Bulldogs won that game, 26-13.
Miami hosts Pittsburgh in early November and then travels to Virginia and North Carolina State. The Hurricanes close out the regular season at home against Duke.
The Hurricanes were 8-5 last season but 5-1 at home. Their only home loss was to Clemson, and the Tigers aren't on the 2016 schedule.
2016 MIAMI FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept. 3 FLORIDA A&M
Sept. 10 FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Sept. 17 at Appalachian State
Sept. 24 OPEN
Oct. 1 at Georgia Tech
Oct. 8 FLORIDA STATE
Oct. 15 NORTH CAROLINA
Oct. 20 at Virginia Tech, ESPN (Thursday)
Oct. 29 at Notre Dame
Nov. 5 PITT
Nov. 12 at Virginia
Nov. 19 at NC State
Nov. 26 DUKE