Miami Hurricanes Predicted to Win ACC Championship
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MIAMI, Fla. – Not to anyone’s surprise, the Miami Hurricanes were voted the preseason favorites to win the Atlantic Coast Conference.
According to a poll featuring 185 credentialed media votes, the Coral Gables program received 3,159 votes. The SMU Mustangs, Louisville Cardinals, Clemson Tigers, and Georgia Tech followed on the list with at least 2,000 votes. On3’s J.D. Pickell predicted the ACC Championship game in Charlotte, North Carolina, will be between the Hurricanes and Pitt Panthers.
Mario Cristobal landed reigning ACC Championship-winning quarterback Darian Mensah through the transfer portal. While at Duke, he led the ACC with 3,973 passing yards and 34 touchdowns. Mensah delivered the Blue Devils program its first conference title since 1989 following a 27-24 win over Virginia in overtime.
Mensah will have the top two ACC wide receivers from last season in Malachi Toney and Cooper Barkate. Both logged at least 1,100 receiving yards. They’re the only ones to reach such production in the conference.
However, it’s quite the surprise for Pickell to select Pitt as the ACC runner-ups. The Panthers finished ninth in the preseason media poll – 1,740 votes. Pickell believes the team will be “freaking tough” this upcoming college football season. In the Hurricanes’ case, there’s “no doubt” that Cristobal will end the program’s 22-year conference title drought.
Coming off the National Championship game, the team’s ceiling only rose. Despite reaching the College Football Playoffs last season through an at-large bid, winning the ACC is the preferable path. It would provide the Hurricanes an automatic bid – potentially a first-round bye.
The Panthers last won an ACC football title in 2021 over Wake Forest. Former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett completed 20 of 33 passes (60.6 percent) and threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Pat Narduzzi led the charge then and is still at the helm.
On Oct. 24, the Hurricanes will host the Panthers at Hard Rock Stadium. The program will honor its 2001 National Championship-winning team. According to Pickell’s prediction, it will be a preview of the ACC title matchup. He listed the other Power Four conference championship matchups and winners:
– SEC: Georgia over Oklahoma
– Big 10: Oregon over Ohio State
– Big 12: Texas Tech over Arizona State
As fall camp approaches, the Hurricanes are projected to dominate the ACC and return to the College Football Playoffs for another National Championship chase. Mensah’s experience will likely play a pivotal role in achieving what Cam Ward and Carson Beck didn’t.
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