Miami is the heavy ACC favorite. Can anybody in the conference keep up?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Those who’ve taken delight in Miami’s misfortune over the past two decades had plentiful material to work with. But perhaps no line has landed quite like “Miami has never won the ACC.”

It became the detractors’ favorite refrain, delivered with the ease and confidence of “Friends” character Joey Tribbiani’s “How you doin’?”

That jab might be approaching its expiration date. This could finally be Miami’s year.

The Hurricanes arrived at the ACC Football Kickoff last week with warranted bravado. The ACC preseason media poll hasn’t yet been released, but Miami should be revealed as the heavy favorite in a conference inexplicably won by Duke last season.

Yes, Duke football, a subject usually only uttered when Daniel Jones announces his alma mater early in primetime broadcasts.

The Blue Devils only qualified for the ACC championship game due to odd tiebreaker rules. Five-loss Duke won the conference, but the Hurricanes made the College Football Playoff and nearly knocked off undefeated Indiana in the national championship. It was the most consequential Hurricanes season since the program joined the ACC in 2004.

To no surprise, the conference adjusted its tiebreaker criteria to prevent such chaos from unfolding again. And Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, a beneficiary of the old system, will be under center for Miami.

It sets the stage for a 2026 campaign in which much is expected to come up Canes. Miami is a bully again. It’s a serious operation, one that embraces showcasing its tenacity.

“Mentality is everything for us,” coach Mario Cristobal said. “We like to get on edge, and we like to stay on edge. The only way to do that is by conducting certain levels of intensity and urgency as it relates to practice and preparation.

If you speak with our players, I think they’ll echo that. That’s been what has really worked for us. We’re nowhere near where we want to be yet, but we’re certainly gaining ground there.”

Miami lost acclaimed defenders in Rueben Bain Jr., Akheem Mesidor and Keionte Scott, among others, to the NFL. They’re still loaded. Defensive tackles Justin Scott and Ahmad Moten Sr. might become first-rounders. Well-traveled former Bulldogs edge rusher Damon Wilson II enters the equation. Their young players are ready to blossom — pro football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor might be the best assistant coach in the country for how he molds the Hurricanes’ defensive front.

The offense should be superb. Sophomore receiver Malachi Toney might be the ACC’s best individual talent. Running back Mark Fletcher Jr. showed what a difference he could make in the playoffs. Former Duke receiver Cooper Barkate transferred along with Mensah. The offensive line is replacing four starters, but Cristobal can be trusted in development and analysis there.

“Within this offense, I don’t have to do much,” Mensah said. “I have great running backs, great receivers, great tight ends. Everyone on the field are all expectational players. I think this year just going to let the game come to me and take it as it goes.”

Take a bow, Cristobal, for reviving this moribund program. Miami undoubtedly benefited from the sweeping changes to the sport. It’s an NIL behemoth, and it’s done quite well in the portal. That includes nabbing Cam Ward, the eventual No. 1 draft pick in 2025, and Carson Beck as transfer quarterbacks the past two seasons. Mensah continues that trend, though Cristobal has indicated the team might soon begin turning to internal options at QB because it’s better positioned than in the past.

Cristobal has made Miami “cool” again. And it looks like they’ll be among the true powers moving forward, taking what they believe to be their rightful place in the sport’s hierarchy.

It takes more than just money, though. This era hasn’t saved Southern Cal. It hasn’t saved Nebraska. Texas, for all the hoopla, hasn’t won the SEC. Oregon, with all its lavish spending, still hasn’t achieved immortality.

The two other traditional powerhouses in Florida, the Gators and Seminoles, haven’t found sustained success in recent years despite their motivation.

This is a testament to Miami’s alignment from the top down. Cristobal is putting their resources to good use. This team would have a good chance to win the SEC or Big Ten. In the ACC, we’re all wondering if anybody can just come close.

“We can’t be complacent,” Fletcher said. “We have a lot of great players. I know it’s kind of hard not to think about last year. We were so close. … We can take a lot of good things to help us. All the bad things, we got to continue to learn from them. I’m going to continue to emphasize that message: Stay where our feet at, let’s dominate this team tomorrow, let’s dominate fall camp, things of that nature.”