Miami is 8-2, sitting at No. 13 in the College Football Playoff rankings and carrying the ACC's highest national ranking. Yet with two weeks left, the Hurricanes are as much scoreboard watchers as contenders, clinging to a sliver of hope that chaos breaks perfectly and delivers them back to Charlotte.
In the ACC's divisionless format, the top two teams by conference record reach the championship game on Dec. 6 at Bank of America Stadium. Right now, Georgia Tech and Virginia share the lead at 6-1, followed by SMU and Pittsburgh at 5-1, with Miami and Duke at 4-2.