If results hold on Saturday night, with Virginia beating Virginia Tech and Cal beating SMU, the ACC would have 7-5 Duke playing in its conference championship game on tiebreakers.
The Blue Devils would take on the Cavaliers, in a situation that could work out terribly for the ACC's College Football Playoff hopes if Duke then pulled an upset of UVA.
National college football writer Nicole Auerbach thinks the ACC should punt on that scenario.
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In a post on X on Saturday night, Auerbach urged the league to ignore its tiebreakers and put Miami in the conference title game.
This might be an unpopular take... But if I'm the ACC and Cal upsets SMU, I override the tiebreakers and put Miami in the ACC championship game against Virginia.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 30, 2025
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Sure, on the surface, that feels like a terrible precedent to set.
But the idea is to make sure the ACC gets a berth in the CFP.
If Duke were to win the league, it's possible two Group of 5 conference champions would get in and Duke wouldn't, leaving the ACC shut out.
If the ACC put Miami in the title game against Virginia, one of them would make it to the CFP for sure.
Would it be fair to Duke? Not on paper, no.
But would it be best for the ACC and its postseason representation? Yes.
It's not clear whether this is even something that could be in play, but it's darn sure fascinating to consider.
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