Words can’t express the excitement surrounding the new College Football 26 video game—especially since I’ve already spent several hours diving into it myself.
That got me thinking. What would happen if I simulated the Miami Hurricanes’ football season in College Football 26 Dynasty Mode? I ran this as a fun experiment—and also to share the results here on the site.
The simulation was done on Heisman difficulty, using custom sliders to create a more realistic gameplay experience.
Yes, I may have stayed up past 2 a.m. running these simulations... but it was worth it. Here’s what I found, along with some key stats from the games:
Week 1: Miami 28, Notre Dame 14
Miami, 1-0 (0-0 ACC)
Three key offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 18/30, 60%, 263 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 picks
RB: Mark Fletcher - 20 carries, 91 yards, 4.6 AVG
WR: Tony Johnson - 7 receptions, 121 yards, 3 receiving touchdowns
Three key defensive player stats:
LB: Wesley Bissainthe - 9 tackles, 2 assisted tackles
CB: Charles Brantley - 6 tackles, 1 pick
CB: OJ Frederiqe Jr. - 5 tackles, 1 pick
Week 2: Miami 66, Bethune-Cookman 6
Miami (2-0) (0-0 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 27/40, 67%, 285 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 picks
RB: Mark Fletcher - 20 carries, 173 yards, 2 touchdowns
WR: CJ Daniels - 9 receptions, 106 yards, 2 touchdowns
Three defensive player stats:
SS - Jakobe Thomas - 4 tackles
CB - OJ Frederiuqe Jr. - 4 tackles, 1 pick
DL: Rueben Bain - 4 tackles, 3.5 sacks
Week 3: Miami 24, USF 16
Miami (3-0) (0-0 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 20/30, 66%, 207 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 picks
RB: Mark Fletcher - 20 carries, 103 yards, 1 touchdown
WR: Tony Johnson - 6 receptions, 72 yards
Three defensive player stats:
SS: Jakobe Thomas - 7 tackles
CB: OJ Frederique Jr. - 9 tackles
DL: Rueben Bain - 5 tackles, 1 sack
Week 4: Miami 41, Florida 38
Miami (4-0) (0-0 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 21/34, 61%, 341 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 picks
RB: Mark Fletcher - 14 carries, 55 yards, 2 touchdowns
WR: Keelan Marion - 3 receptions, 91 yards, 1 touchdown
Three defensive player stats:
LB: Raul Aguirre Jr. - 8 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
DB: OJ Frederique Jr. - 8 tackles
Ahkeem Mesidor - 6 tackles, 1 sack
Week 6: @ Florida State 38, Miami 32
Miami (4-1) (0-1 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 26/37, 70%, 260 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 picks
RB: Mark Fletcher - 16 carries, 123 yards, 0 touchdowns
WR: Tony Johnson - 8 receptions, 70 yards, 1 touchdown
Three defensive player stats:
LB: Wesley Bissainthe - 8 tackles
CB: Ethan O'Connor - 7 tackles
SS: Jakobe Thomas - 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Week 8: Miami 28, Louisville 20
Miami (5-1) (1-1 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 17/34, 50%, 215 passing yards, 1 touchdowns, 0 picks
RB: Mark Fletcher - 21 carries, 135 yards, 1 touchdown
WR: Tony Johnson - 7 receptions, 101 yards, 1 touchdown
Three defensive player stats:
CB: OJ Frederique Jr. - 9 tackles
DL: Rueben Bain Jr. - 7 tackles, 2.5 sacks
CB: Ethan O'Connor - 6 tackles
Week 9: Miami 44, Stanford 3
Miami (6-1) (2-1 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 28/43, 65%, 373 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 picks
RB: Jordan Lyle - 11 carries, 61 yards, 1 touchdown
WR: JoJo Trader - 6 receptions, 151 yards, 1 touchdown
Three defensive player stats:
SS: Jakobe Thomas - 6 tackles
LB: Raul Aguirre Jr. - 5 tackles
DL: Ahkeem Mesidor - 4 tackles, 1 sack
Week 10: @ SMU 10, Miami 37
Miami (7-1) (3-1 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 20/27, 74%, 253 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 picks
RB: Jordan Lyle - 13 carries, 75 yards, 1 touchdown
WR: Tony Johnson - 7 receptions, 96 yards, 1 touchdown
Three defensive player stats:
CB: OJ Frederique Jr. - 9 tackles
LB: Mohamed Toure - 8 tackles, 3.5 sacks
SS: Jakobe Thomas - 7 tackles
Week 11: Miami 38, Syracuse 17
Miami (8-1) (4-1 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 16/21, 76%, 165 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 picks
RB: Jordan Lyle - 21 carries, 98 yards, 3 touchdowns
TE: Alex Bauman - 5 receptions, 43 yards
Three defensive player stats:
LB: Raul Aguirre Jr. - 10 tackles
LB: Mohamed Toure - 9 tackles, 1 sack
DL: Rueben Bain Jr. - 8 tackles, 3.5 sacks
Week 12: Miami 52, NC State 6
Miami (9-1) (5-1 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 28/37, 75%, 421 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, 0 picks
RB: Mark Fletcher - 17 carries, 145 yards, 0 touchdowns
WR: Tony Johnson - 10 receptions, 182 yards, 3 touchdowns
Three defensive player stats:
CB: OJ Frederique Jr. - 7 tackles
LB: Wesley Bissainthe - 6 tackles
FS: Zechariah Poyser - 5 tackles, 1 pick
Week 13: @ Virginia Tech 28, Miami 7
Miami (9-2) (5-2 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 22/33, 66%, 244 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 picks
RB: Mark Fletcher - 14 carries, 32 yards, 0 touchdowns
WR: Tony Johnson - 9 receptions, 109 yards
Three defensive player stats:
LB: Raul Agurrie Jr. - 10 tackles
FS: Zechariah Poyser - 7 tackles
LB: Mohamed Toure - 7 tackles, 0.5 sack
Week 14: @ Pittsburgh 27, Miami 34
Miami (10-2) (6-2 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 24/37, 64%, 272 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 picks
RB: Chris Wheatley-Humphry - 3 carries, 55 yards, 0 touchdowns
WR: JoJo Trader - 6 receptions, 83 yards
Three defensive player stats:
DL: Rueben Bain Jr. - 8 tackles, 3.5 sacks
CB: Charles Brantley - 8 tackles, 1 pick
SS: Jakobe Thomas - 6 tackles
Miami finished the regular season with a 10-2 record, remaining undefeated at home with key wins over Florida and Notre Dame. However, the Hurricanes struggled on the road, suffering losses to Virginia Tech and Florida State.
Despite missing out on a spot in the ACC Championship Game—falling short to Duke and Pittsburgh, who faced off in the title game—Miami still earned a College Football Playoff berth. The Hurricanes entered the playoffs as the No. 4 seed.
CFB Playoffs Quarterfinals: Cotton Bowl - Miami 48, Texas 14
Miami (11-2) (6-2 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 20/28 71%, 267 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 picks
RB: Girard Pringle Jr. - 18 carries, 121 yards, 1 touchdown
WR: Tony Johnson - 6 receptions, 116 yards, 2 touchdowns
Three defensive player stats:
DL: Armondo Blount - 6 tackles
LB: Raul Aguirre Jr. - 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks
DL: Rueben Bain Jr.- 5, tackles, 1 sack
CFB Playoffs Semifinals: Peach Bowl - Penn State 42, Miami 14
Miami (11-3) (6-2 ACC)
Three offensive player stats:
QB: Carson Beck - 19/35, 54%, 209 passing yards, 1 touchdowns, 1 picks
RB: Girard Pringle Jr. - 15 carries, 44 yards, 1 touchdown
WR: JoJo Trader - 2 receptions, 38 yards
Three defensive player stats:
LB: Wesley Bissainthe - 10 tackles
LB: Raul Aguirre Jr. - 8 tackles
LB: Mohamed Toure - 8 tackles
