What Miami Needs to Do to Win Its First and Last ACC Championship
In this story:
As the 24-team College Football Playoff is finalized, other ramifications are coming from this new deal. The idea is "more exposure," but in reality, each year, at most six teams can win a National Championship and a conference championship.
Now with this deal, conference championship games are going away.
The Miami Hurricanes have one task left to do since joining the ACC in 2004: winning the conference.
The first ACC Championship win for Miami could be the last one for the conference now. Crazy that conference championship games are not happening anymore. It's college football, not the NFL.
— Justice Sandle (@Justice_News5) November 9, 2026
Miami has the talent and the right path to get to the game. The only question is whether they do it, knowing what is at stake.
Miami's last time in an ACC Championship game was in 2017. Clemson destroyed them 38-3. Over the past two years, the Hurricanes have finished third in conference play, sitting out of the championship game, billed as better than the competing teams.
Miami currently sits 6-0 in conference play and, with a win against Duke this weekend and some help from others, could lock in their spot for one final shot at the lone trophy they are missing in their illustrious championship cases.
What Needs to Happen For Miami to Win Its First and the Last ACC Championship?
The first step is getting to the championship game. UM can clinch a spot in the ACC Championship as soon as this weekend. They would need to beat Duke, have North Carolina beat Louisville, and have Wake Forest beat SMU.
The Hurricanes can clinch a spot in the ACC Championship game as soon as this weekend:
— Eye of the Hurricanes (@CanesCentralSI) November 9, 2026
They would need to beat Duke + Louisville lose to UNC + SMU lose to Wake Forest pic.twitter.com/F97ncRp2VD
The other step is just winning out. The Hurricanes have three home games remaining, starting with the Blue Devils, then against James Franklin and Virginia Tech, and the last game of the season against Boston College.
UM can get to the championship game with ease; they have to take what is given to them and play at an elite level for the rest of the year.
Find Themselves in the Trenches
Miami's rushing attack, pass protection, and the lack of quarterback pressure are holding the team back from being a complete team.
Since the bye week, quarterbacks have been unbothered in the backfield, having career games against an injured Hurricanes secondary. Moreover, the offensive line just had its worst game of the season.
The rushing push isn't there, and Darian Mensah was pressured on over 50 percent of his dropbacks against Notre Dame. Moreover, the lack of Javian Mallory usage continues to hold the team back.
He might be a freshman, but he is the team's best running back at this current point and time.
Miami, over the past two years, has been trench-dominant against any team in the country. This season, the offensive line has regressed, with a young interior and veterans not fully stepping up to the call.
On the defensive line, Miami has the best run defense in the country. The issue is, you can't only have two great middle pieces; the outside edge rushers have to get after the quarterback, and they have not done that in weeks.
Fix these issues, and a projected rematch against the Demon Deacons should be a cakewalk for the Canes, winning their first and last ACC Championship.
Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.
Follow Justice_News5