When the 2025 college football season began, the Miami Hurricanes were the favorite in the ACC. They had Georgia transfer quarterback Carson Beck under center and some explosive playmakers. In a conference that didn’t sport as many contenders as the SEC or Big Ten, it was easy to see why they were a favorite.
When the dust settled, Miami had a pair of setbacks that cost them a spot in the ACC Championship Game. Virginia and Duke played in that game through the ACC tiebreakers. Going into next season, the Hurricanes are the early clear favorites in the ACC, but according to one college football writer, Miami is going to miss out on the ACC Championship Game in 2026.
CFB Writer Predicts Miami Will Miss ACC Championship Game Again
It was a bizarre ending to the ACC regular season and ACC Championship Game. Miami had losses at home to Louisville in October, in which Beck threw his teammates under the bus after, and at SMU. Those losses opened the door for Virginia and Duke to make it to Charlotte for the championship game.
Duke won the game in overtime, which nearly cost the ACC a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Instead, the committee selected Miami as the last team in. Duke was not eligible as they were not ranked. The Hurricanes took full advantage of the opportunity, advancing to the National Championship Game.
As for looking ahead to 2026, head coach Mario Cristobal has reloaded his roster, and it is the early team to beat. Cody Nagel of CBS Sports made bold predictions for every team in a way-too-early top 25. His prediction for the 13th-ranked Hurricanes is that they’ll miss the ACC Championship Game, again.
“Miami will be the runaway favorite to win the ACC title for the first time in 2026, but that has become a familiar trap in recent years. Mario Cristobal tends to drop a stunning game or two during the regular season that ends up derailing the Hurricanes’ positioning for the ACC Championship Game, and in a league with little margin for error, another slip-up in 2026 would keep Miami watching from home,” wrote Nagel.
Mario Cristobal Continues Being Second-Guessed As Head Coach
Say what you will, but Cristobal does tend to lose games in the regular season that he shouldn’t. Losing to Louisville turned out to be a bad loss with the way the Cardinals faltered in the second half of the season. Losing at SMU in overtime because of late-game mistakes has been a Cristobal theme in the past.
Cristobal is replacing Beck with Duke transfer Darian Mensah. That decision has come under fire as it was being made, and the Hurricanes also added Duke wide receiver Cooper Barkate. Menash led the Blue Devils to the ACC Championship against Virginia and a Sun Bowl win over Arizona State. Now, he’ll try to return to Charlotte in early December, this time with Miami.
Again, Miami will be the team to beat hands down in the ACC in 2026. However, it is easy to see why Nagel would second-guess Cristobal and his inability to lose games he shouldn’t in conference play. However, there might be too much talent to let that happen.
Miami Gets Stunning Way-Too-Early Prediction for 2026