The Hurricanes were led by second-year head coach Randy Shannon and played their home games at Dolphin Stadium.

University of Miami safety Kenny Phillips and defensive end Calais Campbell made the decision to forgo their senior years and declare for the NFL Draft.

Senior quarterback Kirby Freeman, who split time with now undrafted free-agent Kyle Wright in 2007, was informed by the University of Miami coaching staff that he would begin the year third on the depth chart, behind redshirt freshman Robert Marve and true freshman Jacory Harris.

[1][2] Freshman Doug Wiggins, rated the nation's thirty-third best player coming out of high school by Rivals.com, transferred to Western Michigan.

The reasons for the move were unclear but reports eventually surfaced that Wiggins had had trouble adjusting to his backup role.

[4] Junior DajLeon Farr, previously a top tight end recruit out of high school, transferred to the University of Memphis.

[5] Daren Daly, a former walk-on kicker who previously attended Florida State University, also decided to transfer and faced his former Hurricanes team as a member of the UCF Golden Knights.

[10] The two schools played for the fifth straight year, and the Tar Heels owned a 6–5 lead in the series heading into the game.

The only times the two teams have played in ACC action, the Hurricanes won both games by a combined score of 99–24, and UM held a 5–3 lead in the series.

They lost the Orange Bowl to Kansas, where new Hurricanes defensive coordinator Bill Young held that position for the Jayhawks.

The Hurricanes accepted an invitation to the 2008 Emerald Bowl in San Francisco to face California in what was essentially a home game for the Bears.