The Remaining Three Options for Miami to Reach the ACC Championship Game
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No. 13 Miami is struggling to find a way inside the top 10 of the College Football Playoff Rankings. Not only do they have to win out, but they also need help from above to be ranked ahead of No. 9 Notre Dame, thanks to the head-to-head matchup.
However, there is still another option for the Canes if things play out in their favor. The ACC Championship Game hasn't been decided just yet.
The Hurricanes are still battling it out in the ACC against Georgia Tech and Virginia as the top remaining schools in the conference. It also means that there are still a few scenarios where the Hurricanes can somehow end up in Charlotte for their second-ever ACC Championship game appearance.
Scenario One
- Week 13: Miami beats Virginia Tech, Duke beats North Carolina, Pitt beats Georgia Tech, Louisville beats SMU
- Week 14: Miami beats Pitt, SMU beats Cal, Wake Forest beats Duke
If this happens, Virginia is atop the ACC Standings at 7-1, and Miami is second at 6-2, and wins the 4-way tiebreaker over Georgia Tech, Pitt, and SMU to get into the Championship game.
Scenario Two
- Week 13: Miami beats Virginia Tech, Duke beats North Carolina, Pitt beats Georgia Tech, SMU beats Louisville
- Week 14: Miami beats Pitt, Cal beats SMU, Wake Forest beats Duke
Like the scenario above. Virginia is 7-1, and Miami wins the 6-2 tiebreaker over Georgia Tech, Pitt, and SMU.
Scenario Three
- Week 13: Miami beats Virginia Tech, Duke beats North Carolina, Pitt beats Georgia Tech, SMU beats Louisville
- Week 14: Miami beats Pitt, Cal beats SMU, Wake Forest beats Duke, Virginia Tech beats Virginia
This would be the long shot for the Hurricanes. There are too many moving factors for this to be a serious possibility, but it could if it does happen.
There would be five teams with 6-2 conference records, and the order of finish among those teams by virtue of tiebreakers would be: 1. Miami, 2. Georgia Tech, 3. Virginia, 4. SMU, 5. Pitt
They are long shots between each scenario, but not out of the question in the chaos that is the ACC. The Hurricanes still have a chance for a secondary route into the Dance, but their best shot is just winning out.
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.