The ACC has been recently dominated by the Clemson Tigers. Clemson has won eight ACC Championships since 2015. Currently, the Tigers are the reigning champions of the Atlantic Coastal Conference.
It will be challenging for any team in the conference to challenge the Clemson Tigers. The Miami Hurricanes have never won the conference title since the program's entry in 2004. Unfortunately, the Canes are one of four teams that hold that distinction.
For the Miami Hurricanes football program to become among the ACC conference's elite, the program must commence beating teams within the division and conference with regularity. in the 2024 season, the Canes compiled a six-win, two-loss conference record, which according to recent Miami Hurricane standards, was a tremendous improvement. After completing the conference schedule in third place by the end of conference play, the Canes finished just behind the SMU Mustangs and perennial conference champion, the Clemson Tigers.
If a team are going to become a conference champion, as well as national title contender, that team must take care of business within their own conference before even thinking about considering playing consistently in the big games. The Miami Hurricanes are primed for a conference championship. When they played as an Independent and in the Big East Conference, in the 1980s until the early 2000s, the program accumulated all five of its national titles. Upon joining the ACC Conference over twenty-plus years ago, historically, the Canes have suffered numerous upsets within the conference, which has been a stumbling block for the program to overcome.
Two losses within the conference against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Syracuse Orange by a total margin of nine points, ultimately, affected the Miami Hurricanes' chance to compete for both an ACC title and also the invitation to participate in the 2024 College Football Playoff. Coming remarkably close to exceeding expectations by becoming relevant in the conference and national football polls by winning ten games, have helped the Canes and their fans to develop optimism that eventually the program can become an ACC contender.
Each ACC conference member have of course targeted the Clemson Tigers as the team to beat. The Miami Hurricanes must continue to improve upon their poise in the waning minutes of games, as well as in the big games. With the addition of seasoned collegiate quarterback, Carson Beck, the Canes can finally "exercise the demons" in finally winning the coveted ACC Conference title that has eluded the proud program for a plethora of years.