With the 2025 regular season wrapped, conference title week is here. For the ACC, the conference championship week is not rosy; it’s a full-blown chaos. Week 14’s College Football Playoff bracket puts the league in a precarious spot, and the fate of the ACC could rest on one bold move by the Duke Blue Devils.

“A Duke win over UVA and a JMU win in Sun Belt could eliminate the ACC,” Ross Dellenger tweeted while noting the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings on December 2.

Duke, currently ranked No. 2, is positioned on the right side of the bracket. Standing with a 7-5 overall record, Duke is not currently in the playoff picture, but if they get the better of the Virginia Cavaliers, it creates chaos for the ACC’s chances.

The Week 14 bracket shines a spotlight on two Group of Five teams: the BYU Cougars and the James Madison Dukes. Their high placement signals the College Football Playoff committee’s surprising favor for G5 programs over ACC hopefuls. With James Madison poised to claim the Sun Belt crown, an automatic berth could be theirs under the expanded playoff rules.

We cut to ACC, and it’s not a good scenario for Mario Cristobal’s Miami Hurricanes.

A Duke upset over Virginia, combined with a James Madison Sun Belt title, could wipe the ACC’s automatic playoff berth off the map. In a twist of irony, Duke’s win could actually endanger Cristobal and Co.’s spot.

Duke’s path to the College Football Playoff might have been unexpected for the Hurricanes. Heading into Week 14, they needed a perfect storm: wins by Miami over the Pittsburgh Panthers, California Golden Bears over the Southern Methodist Mustangs, and their own victory against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

The stars aligned. Cristobal and Co. crushed Pitt 38-7, Southern Methodist fell 38-35 to Cal, and Duke’s win gave them the tiebreaker. Thanks to the highest conference opponent winning percentage, setting up their crucial trip to Charlotte.

“We have five losses, and we wish we’d played better in those games,” said Duke head coach Manny Diaz while taking pride in their College Football Playoff journey. “But we lost to two 10-win teams, two nine-win teams and an eight-win team. Records have a lot to do with schedules.”

Significantly, James Madison sits at No. 25 and can cement a historic ranking with a Sun Belt title against Troy. But their win could trigger a nightmare for the ACC, potentially leaving them out of the College Football Playoffs. Remember, only the top five conference champions earn automatic bids to the College Football Playoffs. 

Power Four teams aren’t guaranteed, meaning a perfect storm of G5 champions could technically take all five spots. And the Hurricanes can only sit back and watch now.

Miami Hurricanes fall prey to College Football Playoff chaos

For an at-large spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, Miami needed chaos. Alabama Crimson Tide to fall in the Iron Bowl and miss the SEC title, BYU Cougars to get upset at home by UCF Knights, and a little luck after years of losing out on conference tiebreakers.

To make matters worse for Miami, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, despite an early-season loss to the Hurricanes, shares their record yet ranks well above them in the College Football Playoff rankings. However, this heartbreak could not shake Cristobal’s confidence or deter him from fighting to protect his team’s honor.

Texas Longhorns’ Steve Sarkisian went viral with a nonstop media blitz pushing for a College Football Playoff spot. In the process, he took a thinly veiled jab at Miami. Though he didn’t mention them, his wording matched the Hurricanes’ dominating 38-7 win over Pitt to a tee.

Top Stories

Fired Sean McDermott Doesn’t Hold Back in Final Message to Bills Mafia As Locker Room ‘Sickened’ by HC’s Removal

Ohio State QB Announces Retirement & Sends Farewell Message to Ryan Day

Sean McDermott Turned Bills Into the Kremlin as Bills Reporter Reveals Fired HC’s ‘Outrageous’ Actions

Furious Terrell Owens Demands NFL Investigation on Refs for Decision That Eliminated Josh Allen & Bills

Mac Jones Issues Statement on Leaving 49ers Amid Backup QB’s Ongoing Trade Rumors

Greg Norman Puts Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods on Blast for Never Confronting Him Directly

“That’s funny,” Cristobal clapped back while in a conversation with On3’s Brett McMurphy. “We had one common opponent: Florida dominated Texas 29-21, a team we beat convincingly 26-7. That settles that debate.”

Miami, currently No. 12, lags behind No. 10 Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff rankings, a team they already edged 27-24. Cristobal thinks that victory should be the final word.

“We did a better job,” came the Hurricanes’ head coach’s strong claim.

Former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer has signed up for Team Miami in the playoff race. 

For him, the idea of Miami getting snubbed is reason enough to tear the whole selection committee apart.

“I think the committee’s gotta go away,” Meyer dropped a warning on the CFB ON FOX podcast.

Whatever the College Football Playoff holds, Mario Cristobal keeps his team fired up. Now the question is whether the ACC will end up on the chopping block.