Miami's Playoff Path Highlights the ACC's Steep Decline

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Miami’s Playoff Path and the ACC’s Struggles Take Center Stage

Even with losses to North Carolina and Notre Dame, Miami could still reach the playoff by winning its remaining ACC games and capturing the conference championship in Charlotte. With Duke, Virginia Tech, and Boston College remaining on the roadmap, winning out and claiming the ACC title would put Miami in the playoff.

However, a loss in one of those three games or in the ACC championship game would leave Miami with three losses and likely outside the playoff. That means the Notre Dame matchup would not necessarily be a fight for Miami’s playoff life.

The larger concern is the state of the ACC. The Big 12 was described as significantly better than the ACC this season, while the ACC was characterized as both weak and increasingly irrelevant.

Game Day’s decision to visit Bloomington for Indiana-Minnesota instead of Chapel Hill also became part of the discussion. Miami is the No. 1 team in the country, the game is on the network, and a visit to North Carolina would bring additional storylines. One possible explanation is that the show does not want to feature Miami in consecutive weeks, especially with the Hurricanes traveling to Notre Dame next.

The projected point spread may also have influenced the decision. Miami could defeat North Carolina 40-10, making Chapel Hill a risky destination for a show that would prefer to avoid featuring a potential blowout. Still, the decision was viewed as another indictment of the ACC’s current standing.

While the choice of Bloomington remained difficult to understand, there was confidence that Game Day would be in South Bend for Miami’s matchup with Notre Dame.