There is no next week without this week,” said Miami quarterback Cam Ward. Well, the guy understands the stakes they hold for the Week 14 game against Syracuse on Saturday. This game can make or break their playoff dreams, as simple as that. A win over Syracuse and the Hurricanes will be going to next weekend’s Atlantic Coast Conference title game. Lose against Syracuse, and their title hopes will be done, and forget about the playoff. well, the way analysts are predicting this game, it looks like there’s some bad news on its way for the Hurricanes!

So basically, on the recent episode of the Crain & Company podcast, Jake Crain praised the Hurricane’s offensive line by saying, “Look, I got a lot of respect for Mario Cristobal. I think Cam Ward has been incredible with what that offense has done. [He] has been way more than admirable. You look at Restrepo; you look at McCormick; look at the pieces that they have. Damien Martinez a running back; the offensive line is pretty good.

The Hurricanes’ offense, led by offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, ranks first nationally in scoring offense at 44.7 and total offense at 541., yards per play at 7.4, first downs at 301, and third down conversion rate at 56.6.

Look at Cam Ward. The Heisman candidate has created history by totaling 3773 passing yards and 34 passing touchdowns, more than any Miami quarterback ever in a single season. The Miami offense is shining like a star with McCormick and Damian Martinez. But their defense? Ah, ah, that’s not something to be proud of!

“I don’t trust this defense against a high-quality offense. That’s who Syracuse is; I think Syracuse wins this game.” You must have been hearing this kind of comment about Miami’s shaky defense so far this season. Busted coverages, miscommunications, and missed tackles have been constantly an issue since the season started. It’s like ruining what their offense has been building patiently for all these weeks. As a result, the analysts are predicting that Miami’s defense will not stand a chance against a strong team like Syracuse. Furthermore, they discussed how it can ultimately impact their playoff picture as well.

What happens if Miami loses to Syracuse?

Entering the final stretch of the college football season, only a few teams have reserved a spot in their conference championship games. Army will play against Tulane; Boise State will be facing Mountain West. Georgia is all set for the SEC title, while Jacksonville State is looking for the CUSA championship. Adding to that, Oregon is fighting for the Big Ten. So, who’s left in the chat? SMU, yeah, it’s yet to decide its opponent in the ACC championship, and Miami’s upcoming game against Syracuse will be an indicator of it.

The analyst explained the playoff scenario after Miami played against Syracuse. “I think Syracuse wins this game. I think Syracuse will knock Miami out of playoff contention, knocks them out of the ACC championship game, regardless of what Clemson does against South Carolina. Because don’t forget that it’s not a conference game, so Clemson could lose. If Miami loses and gets that second conference loss, Clemson will go and play SMU for the ACC championship.”

A loss against Syracuse can knock Miami out of and hand Clemson the ACC spot, given their 7-1 record. Clemson’s single loss was against Louisville, which is a team Miami beat that gives Miami a tiebreaker upper hand if they finish 7-1. Basically, if they win this game, their playoff hopes will be 80.4 %, but a loss can put them on thin ice.