Miami served as the ACC’s lone College Football Playoff representative last season and pushed Indiana to the brink before falling just short in the CFP National Championship. But the Hurricanes weren’t the ACC champion and haven’t won the league title since joining in 2004.
Is 2026 the year when the drought will finally end? The Hurricanes are stacked with talent and appear poised to remain players on the national scene for years to come under fifth-year coach Mario Cristobal. The title of conference champion remains elusive, however.
After emerging from a five-way tie for second in the conference standings and slaying Virginia in the ACC title game, the label of reigning champion belongs to Duke and ex-Miami coach Manny Diaz, who was once fired to make way for Cristobal.
100 Days Out: College football storylines, predictions, names to know heading into 2026 season Chip Patterson
The Blue Devils’ improbable run to the ACC title as a five-loss team in 2025 was made possible in large part by the standout performance of quarterback Darian Mensah and his top target, Cooper Barkate. Both are now at Miami as the Hurricanes gear up to wreak some havoc…