It's now or never for the Miami Hurricanes.
The official announcement that the CFP will expand to 24 teams starting with the 2027 season comes with the end of the conference championship games in the Power 4. The ACC Championship Game began in 2005, and has seen its share of ups and downs and locations, starting in Jacksonville and moving to Tampa, Charlotte, and then Orlando, before eventually ending up back in Charlotte.
That means this is the last time that the Hurricanes can win the ACC Championship, something that has eluded the program for the past 21 years. Despite the injury of Malachi Toney putting a wrench into Miami's glorious season, the Hurricanes remain the favorite to win the conference. Miami could lock up its spot in the annual game with a Week 11 win over Duke.
Last one, best one 🏆
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) November 9, 2026
The 2026 ACC Football Championship Game marks the final annual championship game for the Conference as the CFP moves to a 24-team format. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this historic moment. Get your tickets now!
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Because the Hurricanes made a run to the CFP Championship Game last season, their lack of an ACC championship gets a little lost in history unless it's brought up by a rival, who until last week, hadn't won a game on the road in three years. Miami was clearly the best team in the conference last season, but losses to SMU and Louisville meant the Hurricanes were on the outside looking in, while Duke did the unthinkable through the talents of Darian Mensah.
Mensah is now in a Hurricanes uniform, so the lack of a player that has experience winning the conference isn't an available excuse. I hate to put even more pressure on Mario Cristobal, but it is what it is. There will still be ACC champions in the future, but without the championship game, does it really count?
Playoff expansion should allow Miami to further explore leaving the ACC
Wouldn't it be great to win the last conference championship game and then say "deuces" to the ACC? I've explained in an earlier story why Miami should consider going independent, and also why the Hurricanes probably can't go at it alone. However, with the 24-team Playoff being a real thing, the ACC probably needs Miami more than Miami needs it.
And if FSU, North Carolina, and Clemson joined the Hurricanes, it likely ends the ACC's status as a power conference. Some might argue that they are not even primary invitees to the power conference party, but rather serving as a "plus one" for the SEC, Big Ten, and even the Monster Energy Big XII.
The best way for Miami to make this farewell tour a reality is by winning the final conference championship game. Miami has been in the conference championship game before, in 2017, and got beaten so badly by Clemson that it proved to be the beginning of the end for Mark Richt's time in Coral Gables.
In that season, the Hurricanes were riding high on a Cinderella run, but then the clock struck midnight repeatedly as the only thing that could stop the Tigers was the rule that running in the end zone officially ends the play. This season is different, and Miami is expected to win something it's never won before. That pressure is enough by itself, but with this being the last time the Hurricanes can accomplish this goal, the sense of urgency has been replaced by a sense of immediacy.
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