Initial Scenarios For No. 7 Miami Hurricanes to Clinch ACC Championship Game Berth

MIAMI, Fla. – Following a 31-24 loss to Notre Dame in South Bend (IN) and dropping from the very top to No. 7 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, the importance for the Miami Hurricanes to win the Atlantic Coast Conference has increased.

It provides an automatic bid and potentially a first-round bye, depending on how much ground is made up in these final three favorable games:

- Nov. 14: Duke (12:00 p.m. E.T. kickoff; ABC)

- Nov. 21: Virginia Tech

- Nov. 28: Boston College

The ACC released its initial clinching scenario for the Hurricanes to book a trip to Charlotte (NC) for Dec. 5's final championship game in history, as the College Football Playoffs are set to expand to a 24-contention bracket. First, the Hurricanes have to beat the Blue Devils this Saturday. The process starts with handling business at Hard Rock Stadium against former head coach Manny Diaz.

Duke is the reigning ACC Champions, but without star quarterback Darian Mensah and go-to wide receiver Cooper Barkate, who are on the Hurricanes' sidelines. However, the Blue Devils still have star running back Nate Sheppard, who is currently second in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 1,189 rushing yards and third with 17 touchdowns from the ground.

Even with a win, the Hurricanes need results from other games to favor a clinching situation and there are three for this weekend.

The biggest one would be the Louisville losing to UNC at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill (NC). The Cardinals are currently third in the ACC standings with a 6-3 overall record, 5-2 in league play.

Secondly, Clemson losses to Georgia Tech in Death Valley (Memorial Stadium). The Yellow Jackets enter the matchup with a 2-7 overall record, 1-5 in league play, and dead-last in the standings. It would take a significant upsetting effort to overcome Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney.

Finally, SMU losing to Wake Forest at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. This particular matchup could be significant in who would face the Hurricanes in the ACC Championship game. Both the Mustangs and Demon Deacons are in the top-four of the standings.

As long as the Hurricanes beat Duke, the rest of the dominos will be monitored as to where they fall.

The Coral Gables program has never claimed an ACC football title. Mensah and head coach Mario Cristobal have an opportunity to make history in making the first be the last.

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