Miami is eliminated from ACC Coastal contention, but the Orange Bowl is still in play
The Miami Hurricanes’ quest for a second trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game is officially over.
Miami, picked to finish second in the ACC Coastal Division by media in the conference’s preseason poll, has been a longshot to win the division ever since losing its first two ACC games. On Saturday, the Hurricanes officially dropped out of contention while on a bye week.
The Virginia Tech Hokies, who beat Miami (6-4, 4-3) in October to knock the Hurricanes to 0-2 in ACC play, took beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 45-0, on Saturday in Atlanta to mathematically eliminate Miami from division contention.
Virginia Tech’s win assures the Hokies they will finish with at least the same record as the Hurricanes and the head-to-head win last month in Miami Gardens gives them the tiebreaker. While the Hurricanes hold the tiebreaker with the Virginia Cavaliers and Pittsburgh Panthers thanks to head-to-head victories, Miami’s 2-3 record in division play would cost them in a three- or four-way tie.
The Hurricanes have still only reached the ACC title game once since joining the conference ahead of the 2004 season. Miami went to Charlotte in 2017 and lost to the Clemson Tigers with a potential trip to the College Football Playoff (CFP) on the line. The Hurricanes still went to the Orange Bowl after the season, though, and lost to the Wisconsin Badgers at Hard Rock Stadium. It was Miami’s first trip to a New Year’s Six or Bowl Championship Series bowl since 2004.
Although the Hurricanes won’t be heading back to Bank of America Stadium next month, a spot in the Orange Bowl is still possible. Assuming No. 3 Clemson returns to the Playoff, the ACC’s guaranteed Orange Bowl spot goes to the next highest ranked ACC team in the CFP rankings. The Tigers are currently the only ACC team ranked in the Top 25, and Miami would have a real chance to join the rankings if it beats the FIU Panthers next Saturday at Marlins Park and the Duke Blue Devils on Nov. 30 in Durham, North Carolina, to finish 8-4.
If no one from the conference other than the champion finishes inside the Top 25, the Orange Bowl gets to pick the team to represent the ACC in South Florida. No team other than Clemson can finish with fewer than three wins, which would make the hometown Hurricanes, if they finish 8-4, a potentially more attractive option than Virginia, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, all of whom have three losses.
This story was originally published November 16, 2019 at 6:54 PM.
