Miami handles Pitt to keep College Football Playoff hopes alive
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The No. 12 Miami Hurricanes knew they had to come up with a dominant performance on the road against the No. 22 Pitt Panthers if they wanted to keep their ACC title and College Football Playoff hopes alive.
The job is done.
The Hurricanes controlled the Panthers the entire game, earning a 38-7 win to improve to 10-2 on the season. They are currently 6-2 in conference play, while the Panthers share a 6-2 record despite being 8-3.
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Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck passes during the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium on November 29, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
Despite where the CFP rankings currently place them, Miami still needs some plays. The ACC champion, which will 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 their first goal is accomplished by beating the Panthers, the Hurricanes will watch the rest of the conference. There are many scenarios that could get Miami into the ACC championship game; The most obvious are losses to Virginia (No. 1 in the rankings), SMU (No. 2 and a team that beat Miami earlier this month) and Duke (5-2 in conference despite a 6-5 overall record).
The Hurricanes should also watch the NC State-North Carolina rivalry game because that game has some impact on the standings.
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But if the Hurricanes were to get an at-large bid, a few teams would have to lose on Saturday. Among them is No. 10 Alabama, which fell at home to Oklahoma two weeks ago and dropped in the CFP rankings. While Auburn would have to upset the Crimson Tide in the Iron Bowl on Saturday, No. 11 BYU would also have to lose to UCF at home.
But Miami got some help from the nation’s No. 1 overall team. Ohio State Buckeyes defeat 15th-seeded Michigan; this was a result that would end Michigan’s chances of reaching the CFP.
Elija Lofton of the Miami Hurricanes celebrates with teammate Alex Bauman (87) after scoring a goal in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on November 29, 2025. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)
So how exactly did the Hurricanes handle things in Western Pennsylvania on Saturday afternoon? Carson Beck was 23-of-29 through the air for 267 yards with three touchdowns. He also made an interception.
But Beck wasn’t the only Hurricanes player to score. Malachi Toney, the team’s leading receiver in the game, made his Hurricanes debut. It came in the second quarter when Toney found Elija Lofton in the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown catch.
Then, on the ensuing drive, Toney picked up Beck’s 22-yard strike to make it 17-7, which began to give Miami some lead.
CJ Daniels and CharMar Brown also had touchdown catches, Mark Fletcher Jr. He scored a quick goal for the Hurricanes.
Miami Hurricanes winger Malachi Toney reacts to the Panthers’ student section after catching a touchdown pass in the second quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Acrisure Stadium on November 29, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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The Hurricanes, including head coach Mario Cristobal, have been saying all year that the CFP needs to respect its roster more, especially considering the Hurricanes opened the season with a win over the Fighting Irish but Notre Dame was ranked higher than it.
Notre Dame has the same record as Miami’s final regular season game against Stanford on Saturday night.
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