The University of Miami has been trying unsuccessfully to get to the ACC Championship Game since joining the conference in 2004.
After defeating Virginia Tech 30-12 at Sun Life Stadium on Thursday night, the Hurricanes need only to beat Virginia next Saturday and Duke on Nov. 24 to guarantee itself the ACC’s Coastal Division championship and a berth in the conference title game on Dec. 1 in Charlotte, N.C.
But the possibility remains that Miami could win the Coastal and choose not to play for the ACC championship as part of a self-imposed bowl ban.
UM’s administration declared itself ineligible for the postseason in 2011, making the announcement a day after defeating South Florida and becoming bowl eligible.
The Hurricanes (5-4, 4-2) are first in the Coastal Division, but remain a win away from bowl eligibility. Imposing a second bowl ban would be an attempt by UM to lessen potential sanctions applied by the NCAA, which has been investigating the athletic department for more than a year in connection with improper benefits provided by rogue booster Nevin Shapiro.
A self-imposed ban would keep the Hurricanes out of the ACC championship because the participants are contractually committed to playing in bowl games tied to the ACC. North Carolina, which can’t play in the postseason this year as part of NCAA sanctions, could win the Coastal but is ineligible to play in the conference championship game.
UM’s interim athletic director Blake James said Friday that no determination has been made.
“Until we become bowl eligible there’s nothing that needs to be addressed,” James said. “We’re evaluating all the variables and will do what’s best to put our program in the best possible situation.”
Coach Al Golden said he’s been kept out of the loop in regards to matters dealing with the NCAA and sidestepped questions regarding a postseason ban.
“My job right now is to get this team to win the Coastal,” Golden said on Friday. “I’m trying to keep my team and ourselves focused on the things we can control and not let anything on the outside interfere with our goals.”
Thursday night’s win was probably the biggest in Golden’s two seasons as coach. The victory improved Golden’s overall mark at UM to 11-10 and snapped the Hurricanes’ three-game losing streak to Virginia Tech.
Miami was far from perfect in beating the Hokies. The defense allowed 200 rushing yards for the eighth consecutive game and the offense managed only 8 yards on its first six possessions of the second half.
But the Hurricanes received solid performances from several players and outstanding production from freshman tailback Duke Johnson, who rushed for 100 yards and accounted directly for 17 of UM’s 30 points. Johnson had struggled in recent games but piled up 217 all-purpose yards against the Huskies.
“Duke looked like Duke [on Thursday],” Golden said.
Miami has nine days to prepare for Virginia, which has struggled this year but has beaten the Hurricanes in each of the past two seasons.
“If we don’t play our best game next Saturday we’ll lose,” Golden said. “It’s as simple as that. … The facts are that Virginia has beat us the last two years. If that’s not enough to open our eyes as a team and organization to get us focused in on what we need to do in Charlottesville, then I don’t know what is.”
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