Maybe now Miami will get the College Football Playoff Selection Committee's attention.
The No. 10 Hurricanes kept their undefeated season alive on Saturday night, beating No. 13 Virginia Tech 28-10. It was Miami's most impressive win of the season, both in the opponent it beat, and the fashion in which it beat it. The 18-point win was Miami's largest margin of victory against a ranked team since it beat No. 17 Ohio State 24-6 on Sep. 17, 2011.
The offense had its ups and downs, as quarterback Malik Rosier threw for 193 yards, rushed for 84 more and accounted for three touchdowns. The problem is that Rosier also accounted for three turnovers, as he threw three interceptions. Still, the Miami defense made the turnovers a non-factor. In fact, the Hurricanes forced four Virginia Tech turnovers and held the Hokies to only 4.0 yards per play on the evening.
Here's what you need to know about how this win affects Miami moving forward.
1. This win puts Miami in a great position to win the Coastal Division. Did you know Miami has never won the Coastal Division? It's true. Even though the Hurricanes have always played in what's considered the "easier" half of the ACC, they've never been able to win the division and get to the ACC title game. But it looks like that's going to change this year.
By beating Virginia Tech on Saturday night, the Hurricanes improved to 6-0 in the ACC this year. More importantly, the Hokies are now 3-2. That means the Canes have a two-game lead in the division and would have to lose their last two ACC games to not win the Coastal, and even then they still might win it. Virginia would have to win out, too. So, yeah, the Canes should book some hotel rooms in Charlotte for the first weekend of December.
2. This win helps Miami's College Football Playoff hopes as well. The Canes were ranked No. 10 this week because, even if they were undefeated, they didn't have a signature win and they weren't winning by enough to impress anybody. That's no longer the case.
While beating Virginia Tech isn't a season-defining win that's going to vault the Canes to the top four, it's still a win over the team the committee considered to be the No. 13 team in the nation. And not only did Miami beat the Hokies, it beat them by 18 points.
When you combine this win with a host of teams ahead of the Canes in the rankings losing on Saturday, Miami's playoff hopes improved a lot on Saturday. This might not be a great team, but it's a team good enough to still be around at the end. Of course, if the Canes can beat Notre Dame next week, they might become a great team sooner than expected.
3. A-Rod has a turnover chain of his own. Having Alex Rodriguez hanging out at your games is pretty cool. Having J.Lo accompanying A-Rod to your games is a lot cooler. Having them both there while A-Rod is wearing a turnover chain of his own is amazing. This should boost Miami a spot in the CFP Rankings on its own.