Hurricanes are finding their rhythm. Will it be enough to sway playoff committee?
With the Miami Hurricanes still trying to make their case for the College Football Playoff, they know results are only going to get them so far.
As they maneuver through a logjam of multiple two-loss teams trying to make their case for at-large bids, wins might not be enough.
How they win will likely be factored in as a 12-member selection committee continues to sort out the haves from the have-nots over the next few weeks.
“The way you play the game, it screams loudly,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said.
The Hurricanes, who were No. 15 in the committee’s most recent rankings, spoke loud and clear on Saturday in their 41-7 rout of the NC State Wolfpack at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami (8-2, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) dominated from start to finish against an NC State team that already had upset wins over two of the conference’s other top teams in Georgia Tech and Virginia.
The offense hummed. The defense suffocated. It was an all-around victory, the most complete win of Miami’s season when they needed it most.
But is it too little too late? The Hurricanes still face an uphill road to make the 12-team playoff field. Their chances of winning the ACC and getting an automatic bid into the field (the top five ranked conference champions are guaranteed a playoff berth) are slim. Getting one of the seven at-large spots is far from a lock either, even if Miami wins its final two games at Virginia Tech on Saturday and at Pittsburgh on Nov. 29.
“Turn on the tape,” defensive lineman Ahkeem Mesidor said. “Look at us when we play. That’s the deciding factor.”
If so, Miami needs to stack more games like they had on Saturday.
The Hurricanes scored on six of nine drives with the starters in the game and had 581 yards of total offense — the most yards for Miami against an ACC opponent since racking up 625 against (ironically enough) NC State on Nov. 6, 2020. The defense did not allow NC State to enter Miami territory until there was 5:26 left in the game and the Hurricanes had their reserves on the field. NC State scored its only points of the game on that drive on a 10-yard CJ Bailey touchdown run with 2:18 left to play.
“Very much a game where it was complementary,” Cristobal said, “both sides showing up where they need to.”
Quarterback Carson Beck completed 21 of 27 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns before being relieved for backup Emory Williams with about 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Nine players caught passes from Beck, with Keelan Marion having a team-leading seven catches and 96 yards and Malachi Toney hauling in two touchdown catches.
Freshman running back Girard Pringle Jr., making his first career start for Miami, had career highs with 17 carries and 116 yards.
“We’ve really found our rhythm again,” quarterback Carson Beck said. “There’s so many talented playmakers all over the field, from the wide receivers, the running backs, the tight ends… You don’t know who’s going to pop off and have a night. So they just continue to roll, and continue to get better and work.”
And the defense held NC State (5-5, 2-4 ACC) to just 149 yards — 75 of which came on that garbage-time touchdown drive after Miami had already inserted a slew of reserves into the game. Miami had five tackles for loss, five pass breakups and a pair of Jakobe Thomas interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. NC State went just 3 for 12 on third down and only had one play go for longer than 20 yards after entering the game with 10 plays of at least 50 yards. Their run game had a season-low 23 yards.
It’s the third time this season Miami has held a team to fewer than 150 yards of offense, also doing so against Florida (141 yards) and Stanford (144 yards).
As a result, Miami jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead — its largest in an ACC game in five years — and never looked back from there.
“We came out and did what we needed to do from the jump,” said Toney, who also threw a 44-yard pass to receiver Joshisa “JoJo” Trader in the first half in addition to catching five passes for 54 yards. “No matter who we play or what the circumstances are, when the ball’s up, it’s go time.”
It’s been go time for a couple weeks now ever since Miami was handed its second loss of the season. The Hurricanes have no room for error anymore. They have turned their game around the past two weeks, albeit against inferior opponents, and know they have to keep building on that momentum for two more weeks if they want to keep their playoff hopes in front of them.
“Don’t get complacent and be happy with a really good game,” Beck said. “Let’s go try to have a better one next week.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2025 at 10:10 AM.
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