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The No. 12 Miami Hurricanes knew they had to put together a dominant road performance against the No. 22 Pitt Panthers if they wanted to keep their ACC title and College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Mission accomplished.
The Hurricanes controlled the Panthers throughout the game on their way to a 38-7 victory to move to 10-2 on the season. They are now 6-2 in conference play, while the Panthers, despite being 8-3, also share that 6-2 record.
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Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck passes against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 29, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Image Images)
Miami still needs to have some games fall their way despite where the CFP standings currently have them. The ACC champion, to be determined next Saturday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, is expected to earn an automatic berth in the CFP. Miami entered Week 14 in sixth place in the ACC standings.
But now that they accomplished their first goal by beating the Panthers, the Hurricanes will watch the rest of the conference. There are many scenarios that could lead Miami to the ACC title game, the most obvious being Virginia (No. 1 in the rankings), SMU (No. 2 and a team that beat Miami earlier this month) and Duke (5-2 in the conference despite a 6-5 overall record) all losing.
The Hurricanes should also keep an eye on the NC State-North Carolina rivalry game because it has some impact on the standings.
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However, if the Hurricanes were to get an at-large bid, some teams would have to forfeit on Saturday. Among them is No. 10 Alabama, which fell to Oklahoma two weeks ago at home, falling in the CFP standings. Auburn would have to defeat the Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl on Saturday, while No. 11 BYU would also have to lose to UCF at home.
However, Miami received some help from the number one team in the country. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated No. 15 Michigan, a result that should end Michigan’s chances of making the CFP.
The Miami Hurricanes’ Eli Lofton celebrates with teammate Alex Bauman (87) after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium on November 29, 2025 in Pittsburgh. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)
So how exactly did the hurricanes perform Saturday afternoon in western Pennsylvania? Carson Beck threw three touchdowns, efficiently completing 23 of 29 passes through the air for 267 yards. He also threw an interception.
But Beck wasn’t the only Hurricanes player to throw a touchdown. Malachi Toney, the team’s leading receiver in the game, had the first of the game for the Hurricanes. It came in the second quarter when Toney found Elija Lofton for a nine-yard touchdown reception in the end zone.
Then, on the next drive, Toney took a 22-yard strike from Beck for a score that began to give Miami some separation, making the score 17-7.
CJ Daniels and CharMar Brown also had touchdown receptions, while Mark Fletcher Jr. added a rushing touchdown for the Hurricanes.
Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney reacts to the Panthers student section after catching a touchdown pass against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 29, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Image Images)
The Hurricanes, including head coach Mario Cristobal, have been saying all year that the CFP should take more into account of their team, especially considering Notre Dame is ranked higher even though the Hurricanes opened the season with a win over the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame has the same record as Miami heading into its regular season finale against Stanford on Saturday night.
