PITTSBURGH — Miami players left Acrisure Stadium on Saturday afternoon feeling like a team still alive in the ACC race. They had just blasted No. 22 Pittsburgh 38-7, extended their winning streak to four games and completed one of the most dominant closing stretches in program history.
They did not know that their ACC Championship Game hopes would be gone just hours later.
Following Miami’s win, Duke and Virginia both recorded victories in their evening matchups, results that eliminated the 12th-ranked Hurricanes from the conference title game through a crowded and unforgiving five-way tie for second place.
The ACC Championship Game is officially set: Virginia vs. Duke.
The Hurricanes — who believed they still had a path when they walked off the field — never got their chance.
Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC) surged into the final weekend with real momentum. The Hurricanes responded to an overtime loss at SMU on Nov. 2 by winning four straight by an average of 27.5 points.
That SMU loss, however, became one of the deciding factors in the tiebreaker that kept the Hurricanes out of the title game.
It created the five-way knot atop the league standings and eventually left Miami on the wrong side of the ACC’s computer-driven, head-to-head sorting process.
Cristobal said before Saturday night’s elimination games that he felt his team had done all it could.
“I just think people have got to stop and trying to place value on conferences,” Cristobal said shortly after the win in Pittsburgh. “There are a lot of really good football teams in all conferences, especially the ACC, and we’ve proven it.”
At that point, Cristobal still believed — correctly — that Miami remained mathematically alive.
It just didn’t last much longer.
Hurricanes Roll Past Panthers
Against Pitt, Miami looked every bit like a team surging toward a championship opportunity.
Quarterback Carson Beck delivered one of his most efficient performances, completing 23 of 29 passes for 267 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Miami’s defensive front overwhelmed Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel, producing four sacks and near-constant pressure.
It was also a record-setting day for receiver Malachi Toney. The 18-year-old broke Miami’s freshman records for receptions and receiving yards, eclipsing marks set by Ahmmon Richards in 2016.
Toney finished the regular season with 84 catches for 970 yards and seven touchdowns, added 89 rushing yards and a score, and even threw for two touchdowns.
The win secured Miami’s second straight 10-win season under Cristobal and pushed the Hurricanes to 4-0 against ranked opponents — a résumé line that would typically put a team in firm championship contention.
Virginia dispatched Virginia Tech 27-7 to clinch its spot.
All eyes then turned to SMU–Cal, where the Mustangs — who could have forced a different tiebreaker scenario by winning — missed a potential game-tying field goal at the horn. That opened the door for Duke, which took advantage with a steady, businesslike win to secure the league’s second berth.
Cristobal had said earlier Saturday that he believed Miami “passed the eye test and the field test.” But no amount of dominance late in the season could erase the SMU loss — the one that came back to haunt Miami most.
What’s Next: The Playoff Question
With their ACC Championship dreams gone, the Hurricanes now have only one remaining path to the College Football Playoff: an at-large bid.
It is a long shot, but not an impossible one.
Miami owns a 10-2 record, four ranked wins and a head-to-head victory over No. 6 Notre Dame. Whether that is enough to impress the committee — particularly without a conference title shot — will be revealed next week when the 12-team bracket is announced.
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