No. 13 Miami's Last Remaining Scenarios to Reach the ACC Championship Game
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No. 13 Miami is the highest-ranked ACC team, but they are a few steps away from reaching the ACC Championship game.
The conference looks like they are going to a one-team playoff bid, and the Hurricanes will likely get left out of the dance. However, this only worries those outside of the building.
Head coach Mario Cristobal knows that they can only control what they can, and that is by going and defeating Pitt.
"Everyone wants to throw out different scenarios, but all that matters is winning," Crisotbal said. "All that matters is being 1-0 this particular week."
Here are all of the Hurricanes’ ACC Championship Game possibilities:
1.) SMU wins, Duke and Virginia lose:
Miami and SMU advance regardless of the NC State-UNC and Syracuse-Boston College results.
2.) Duke wins, SMU and Virginia lose:
Miami faces Duke in the ACC Championship Game IF NC State also beats UNC.
3.) Virginia wins, Duke and SMU lose:
Miami faces Virginia in the ACC Championship Game IF both Syracuse beats Boston College AND NC State beats UNC
4.) Duke, SMU, and Virginia all lose:
Miami makes it into the ACC Championship Game IF one of Syracuse OR NC State wins its regular-season finale.
The ACC Championship permutations in this scenario...
-Syracuse wins, and NC State loses: Virginia vs. Miami
-NC State wins, and Syracuse loses: Miami vs. Georgia Tech
-NC State and Syracuse loss: Virginia vs. one of Miami, Georgia Tech, or SMU, who will be in a three-way tie for second that will be decided based on the SportSource Rating Score.
How to Watch: No. 13 Miami at Pittsburgh
Who: Miami Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Panthers
Where: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TV: ABC (Noon Eastern)
Radio: FM 104.3 WQAM
Last Outing, Panthers: The Panthers upset the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets dominantly and dramatically. After dropping a terrible game to Notre Dame, they bounced back and dragged the Yellow Jackets through the air and on the ground.
Last Outing, Miami Hurricanes: Miami is starting to take up victories, and they have been dominant. In 8 possessions against the Hokies, the Hurricanes scored on 6, with Carson Beck throwing 85 percent completion for over 300 yards and four touchdowns.
Last Meeting: This will be the first time each team will play each other since 2022, when the Panthers defeated the Canes at Hard Rock Stadium.
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.