Mario Cristobal’s ACC title hopes were almost shattered after losses to Louisville and SMU. Even SportsLine gave Miami just a 2.9% chance to win the ACC, ranking them a harsh seventh overall. But then Georgia Tech’s inconsistent run against Boston College gave them some hope — only to snatch it away moments later. Still, Cristobal is doubling down on the team’s playoff path after the NC State win rather than focusing on the title scare.

After the win, Mario Cristobal made it clear his team knows how to dominate even with key starters sidelined by injuries, which makes them playoff-ready. “Want to start by thanking the crowd and the energy that they brought to our team that was down a significant amount of starters, and they came out and played the most complete team football game of the year. It was a game that was complementary, with both sides showing up when they need to,” Cristobal said to the media after the game.

This win almost gave them ACC championship hopes, too, looking at Georgia Tech’s struggles against Boston College. But just when they thought their title run path was clear, the Yellow Jackets pulled off a late win stunt. With that, they are 9–1 overall and 6–1 in the ACC, which makes them the No. 1 favorite for the championship game, hurting Miami’s chances in the title race. Now, with just one win against Pitt, they will lock in a spot as the first-place team, whereas for Miami, despite being the highest-rated playoff team in the Week 11 rankings at the no. 15 spot, the chances look thin.

However, that doesn’t mean Miami is out of the race. It’s still pretty complicated looking at the ACC mess. First, they have to win their two remaining games of the season against Virginia Tech and Pitt. Then, Virginia needs to beat Virginia Tech, which will give them a 7-1 record in the ACC. From there, Mario Cristobal’s team needs Pitt to beat Georgia Tech so that they don’t automatically get the No. 1 spot and enter the tiebreakers.

Then Miami will need Duke to win against North Carolina to set up the specific four-way tie wins. Then Wake Forest must beat Duke. But now comes the interesting part: SMU must lose one ACC game against Cal or SMU so that their score is 6-1 in the ACC. This would tie Miami with Georgia Tech, Pitt, and SMU, with tiebreaker rules ultimately sending them to the ACC title.

With the title scare, Cristobal’s team got hit by another setback.

Mario Cristobal gives an update on his start DB injury

Keionte Scott has been a major breakout star for Miami this season, but they lost him before NC State after he suffered a lower extremity injury against Syracuse last week. Mario Cristobal stated the nature of his injury is “serious” and expressed how painful the loss feels for the team.

This was a breakout year for Scott, as he earned a strong role in Miami’s defense this season, producing 29 tackles, three sacks, and a pick-six against Syracuse. Even PFF graded him at 90.3 defensively, which is the highest in the ACC among all defensive backs entering the week. “You miss him,” Cristobal said. “It’s a serious injury, and it’s one that’s heart-wrenching, gut-wrenching, really.”

Without Scott, Mario Cristobal’s team turned to freshman Bryce Fitzgerald to start at nickel. He stepped in confidently, recording two tackles and one pass breakup against NC State. And through it all, Scott was present on the sidelines, motivating him.

Even Cristobal praised his efforts, saying, “I think having him on the sideline as a coach, as a leader, his enthusiasm, and his voice were very impactful and powerful, and the guys that stepped in did a really good job.”

Now, let’s hope Scott’s absence doesn’t hurt Miami’s championship hopes this season.