There are plenty of ACC contenders in play to make the conference title game with two weeks remaining in the regular season. Miami is the highest ranked team in the College Football Playoff rankings at No. 13, but at this point, need a lot of help to make it to Charlotte.
Let's break it all down heading into Week 13.
Who are the top contenders for the ACC championship game?
In short, there are several, but only one controls its own fate: Georgia Tech.
If the Yellow Jackets beat Pittsburgh on Saturday, Georgia Tech will be going to Charlotte for the conference title game in early December. The rest of the contenders need to win out in ACC play, plus get some help from the results of other games.
At this point in the proceedings, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Pittsburgh, SMU and Miami are the only true contenders left. Duke is not technically eliminated from the ACC title race, but its loss to Virginia last Saturday made it next to impossible for it to make it to Charlotte. For all intents and purposes, the Blue Devils are out.
ACC standings entering Week 13 (only teams listed are those alive for conference title)
Here are the updated ACC standings for the conference title contenders heading into the penultimate week of the regular season:
ACC championship game matchup if the season ended today
Strictly based on conference standings, the ACC title game would matchup Georgia Tech and Virginia if the season ended today.
How Week 13 will affect ACC championship game scenarios
The only team that can lock up a spot in the ACC championship game in Week 13 is Georgia Tech. If the Yellow Jackets beat Pittsburgh on Saturday, they'll be in Charlotte for the conference title game. The remainder of the ACC games in Week 13 only affect the shuffling of the deck and the tiebreaker scenarios to make it to the conference championship game.
Clinching scenarios for each ACC team to make it to the conference championship
Georgia Tech will make the ACC title game if:
- Beat Pittsburgh
Virginia will make the ACC title game if:
- Beat Virginia Tech
- SMU loses to Louisville or Cal
- Pittsburgh loses to Georgia Tech or Miami
Miami will make the ACC title game if:
- Beats Virginia Tech and Pitt
- Virginia beats Virginia Tech
- Pitt beats Georgia Tech
- Duke beats North Carolina
- SMU beats Louisville
- Cal beats SMU
- Wake Forest beats Duke
Miami can also make the ACC title game in the scenario above if Louisville beats SMU and SMU then beats Cal. Wake Forest would still have to beat Duke as well in order for the 'Canes to win the tiebreakers.
Pittsburgh will make the ACC title game if:
- Beats Georgia Tech and Miami
- SMU loses to Louisville or Cal
- Virginia beats Virginia Tech
Pittsburgh can also make the ACC title game in the scenario above if SMU beats Louisville and Cal and then Virginia beats Virginia Tech.
SMU will make the ACC title game if:
- Beats Louisville and Cal
- Virginia Tech beats Virginia
- Pittsburgh beats Georgia Tech
- Miami beats Pittsburgh
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ACC Championship Game Scenarios Entering Week 13: Does Miami Have a Chance?.
