With the 24-team College Football Playoff now taking shape, the ripple effects are already showing up elsewhere in college football. The pitch is “more exposure,” but the reality is simpler: only so many teams can still chase a national title and a conference crown, and conference championship games are headed out the door.
That gives Miami’s push a strange kind of urgency. Since joining the ACC in 2004, the Hurricanes have one conference box left to check, and this could be their last real shot at doing it.
The first ACC title in program history might also end up being the final one the league ever hands out in this format. Crazy, but that’s where things stand.
Miami has put itself in position to make the run. The Hurricanes are 6-0 in conference play and can clinch a spot in the ACC Championship game as soon as this weekend. To get there, they need to beat Duke, have North Carolina beat Louisville, and have Wake Forest beat SMU.
The path is clear enough. The bigger question is whether Miami can clean up the parts of its game that have kept it from looking like a complete team.
The Hurricanes’ last trip to the ACC Championship game came in 2017, when Clemson rolled them 38-3. Over the last two seasons, Miami has finished third in conference play and watched the title game from the outside, even while being treated as better than the teams that got in.
This year, the opportunity is right there. The Hurricanes have three home games left, beginning with Duke, then James Franklin and Virginia Tech, and finally Boston College to close the season. If they keep winning, the conference title game should be waiting.
But Miami still has some real issues to sort out before any of that matters. The rushing attack has not been sharp enough, pass protection has slipped, and the pressure on opposing quarterbacks has not been there.
Since the bye week, quarterbacks have been comfortable in the pocket, stacking up career games against an injured Hurricanes secondary. The offensive line just turned in its worst performance of the season, and the ground game still hasn’t found its rhythm.
Darian Mensah was pressured on over 50 percent of his dropbacks against Notre Dame, and the continued lack of Javian Mallory usage remains a problem. He may be a freshman, but right now he is the team’s best running back.
That’s a noticeable shift for a program that has been trench-dominant against just about everybody over the last two years. This season, the offensive line has regressed, with a young interior and veterans not fully answering the call.
On the other side, Miami’s defensive front still owns the best run defense in the country. The catch is that being strong in the middle only gets you so far. The edge rushers have to finish plays, and they haven’t been getting to the quarterback in recent weeks.
If Miami can straighten out those problems, a projected rematch with the Demon Deacons should be manageable. And if everything breaks the right way, the Canes could end up winning their first and last ACC Championship.
In Other News...
Miami Duke Just Became Bigger Than A Typical ACC Game
After dropping its season opener to Notre Dame, Miami is heading into a Duke matchup that suddenly carries far more weight than a standard ACC date on the calendar. Mario Cristobal framed it as playoff football, and the label fits the moment, with the Hurricanes needing to treat every snap like it could shape the rest of their season.
Duke brings enough on both sides of the ball to make this a real test, not just a stepping stone, and Miami knows the margin for error is thin. A win would keep the Hurricanes in position for the ACC Championship Game, though they would still need help from other conference results to get there. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Lost A Recruit Mario Cristobal Could Not Afford To Miss
Mark Matthews had been one of the most important offensive line targets on Miamis board, the kind of local prospect Mario Cristobal and his staff could not afford to let slip away. The top-rated offensive tackle in the 2027 class had been committed to Texas A&M, but he changed course and picked Georgia instead, leaving the Hurricanes to regroup as they continue trying to strengthen a position group that remains a clear need.
For Miami, the miss stings not just because Matthews is from close to home, but because he fit the profile of the kind of lineman Cristobal has made a priority. With the 2027 cycle taking shape, the Hurricanes may have to turn more of their attention toward the 2028 class to keep building depth up front, especially if they want to avoid another round of chasing elite tackles after the top names are already spoken for. [Read more 🡒]
Miamis Notre Dame Loss Raises A Bigger Question About Who Delivered
The Notre Dame loss left Miami with more than just a disappointing result to sort through. A closer look at the individual grades from the game shows a roster that had a few bright spots but too many uneven performances, with Cooper Barkate standing out after a productive night as a receiver and scorer while the offensive line had a rough time holding up across the board.
Miamis problems were not limited to one phase, either. The front five struggled to create a clean pocket or much room in the run game, and the grading breakdown also raised some eyebrows because a few of the evaluations did not seem to line up neatly with what played out on the field. For the Hurricanes, the bigger question now is not just who struggled, but which players actually delivered when the game was there to be won. [Read more 🡒]