The Miami football team began the 1989 season with a 51-3 victory at Camp Randall Stadium over Wisconsin in Madison. The Hurricanes were ranked third in the national polls in the preseason and moved up to second following a 38-7 victory at Missouri. That was coupled with a 31-3 victory over California week two.
The Miami football team began the 1989 season with three wins over Power Five programs by a combined 120-13. The average 40-4 win margin set the Hurricanes rolling to begin the season. They added another Power Five victory with a 26-20 win at Michigan State.