Miami Hurricanes’ [9-1] invincible record took an abrupt blemish this weekend. After a 23-28 loss to giant-killers Georgia Tech, the Canes now find themselves in a pickle. On the surface, this loss is just a small misstep in an otherwise irrefutable season. However, the result introduces a rationale for how Miami’s championship aspirations are precariously placed. Much, much earlier than one would’ve expected.

The demons dwelling underneath the Canes’ defensive woes finally came out to haunt them. Georgia Tech rushed the threads off the pigskin on Saturday. 271 yards on the ground and a 3rd down percentage north of 64% proved too much for Cam Ward and the offense to combat against. ESPN’s CFB analyst Greg McElroy broke down the different facets of the game. Although the most prominent issue was the loss’ impact on the bigger playoff picture.

In his weekly, Always College Football show’s newest iteration, McElroy raised the question of what this result changes going forward. “[For] Miami, does this make a huge difference? No, not necessarily. They can still clinch a spot in the ACC title game if they beat Wake Forest [and] they beat Syracuse. But now they’re in kind of a tricky spot, because the ACC is now probably likely only to get one team in. There was a scenario where, if SMU beat an undefeated Miami [In the ACC Conf. Championship game] maybe Miami still gets in. I don’t think that’s the case anymore”.

Before this weekend, Miami was ranked a gaudy no.4 in the AP Poll. The fickle nature of CFB is such that one result changes perception enormously. Now, the Canes have tumbled down to no.12, a far cry from just last week. This plunge will likely be reflected in the CFP committee’s ranking too. The Miami Hurricanes are now in trouble. The new CFP format offers both respite and punishment.

Under the new rules, each conference winner gets an automatic postseason berth. So far, Miami didn’t really need that route since they were going to make it via the rankings anyway. As McElroy suggests, they will now likely need to win the ACC championship to make it through. Mario Cristobal and his team have just lost all margin for error.

Miami has still not secured a place in the ACC Championship Game

The ACC Conference Championship game in Charlotte was always set to be a high-stakes affair. Now the stakes are even bigger. The game will likely be the only opportunity for an ACC member to make the playoffs. 3 teams are primarily in the fray for 2 spots- SMU (8-1, 5-0 in the conf.), Clemson (7-2, 6-1 in the conf.) and Miami (9-1, 5-1 in the conf.).

The Miami Hurricanes currently sit in 3rd place. Albeit with 2 games left against fellow ACC teams compared to 1 for Clemson. If both teams finish 7-1 in conference play, Miami will hold the tiebreaker against Clemson. SMU has yet to face 3 conference schools. So Miami’s route to the CFP-in all likelihood- is to win out the regular season and then beat whoever is standing opposite them in Charlotte. Louisville too has a long shot of making it, however, it is very unlikely.

Cam Ward’s Heisman contention took a massive blow this weekend, and so did the optimism around Miami. They will look to brush off the loss and get things back on track at home this weekend. A Wake Forest unit looking to inflict a final blow in the Canes’ hopes will line up against them.