ACC more than survived, it thrived. Miami in the College Football Playoff final is proof

MIAMI (AP) — The Power 4 conference that didn't get its champion into the College Football Playoff has a team that tied for second playing in the CFP's national title game.

So much for the demise of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The league that looked most vulnerable a few short years ago when the latest round of realignment shook up college sports is doing just fine.

The best proof comes out of Miami, a second-place finisher in the ACC that plays Indiana in the title game Monday. It's a turn of events that, at least for now, has left in the rearview mirror the playoff rejection of ACC champion Duke.

“It's been about creativity and innovation on the business side of sports, as well as in the area that has connections with competition,” commissioner Jim Phillips said in explaining what has worked over the past few tumultuous years.

To reset, Duke won a convoluted tiebreaker to emerge from a five-way tie for second and make the ACC title game, then beat Virginia there. But because the Blue Devils had five losses and were unranked, they got passed over by 24th-ranked Sun Belt champion James Madison for the fifth and final automatic-qualifying spot in the 12-team bracket.

It was something of a black eye for a conference that was, for decades, known for basketball, but through expansion moves of its own along with the steady success of either Florida State or Clemson, has cultivated a more-than-respectable resume as a football conference.

In this case, it was Miami — once a big, brash name in college football that hadn't been quite that since it joined the league in 2004 — that came to the rescue.

The furor over the Duke snub was erased when the playoff selection committee gave the Hurricanes the last at-large spot over Notre Dame despite ranking them lower than the Fighting Irish all season.

Miami making the final might have validated that decision.

“I believe the ACC is like 9-4 in postseason play this year, and I think a lot of the reasons we have progressed is (thanks to) some of the teams that we have faced throughout the course of the season in our conference,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said.

Seven of those nine wins have come against other Power Four teams. The ACC also points to solid scheduling — 35 games against Power Four teams overall this season — and 14 wins against those teams and Notre Dame; both numbers were the highest among the P4 conferences.

Another story line that emerged from Miami's wins is the $20 million playoff share that will all go to the Hurricanes, instead of being divided among all the conference members, which is the traditional way of doing it.

That arrangement strikes to the heart of the ACC's dilemma and how it solved it when Florida State and Clemson sued the conference and threatened to leave, concerned about being left behind as the Big Ten and SEC kept expanding.

Phillips and the lawyers came up with a “success incentives” initiative in which programs would keep all their postseason money. They crafted a similar deal that placed 60% of their media revenue up for grabs, with teams that generate more viewership (think FSU, Clemson, Duke in hoops) getting more of the dough.

“For us, it was an innovative approach of how to handle our revenue,” Phillips said. “You put everyone at the same level, then compete for a portion of those resources. We thought about it, talked about it, and said, listen this is the evolution of college sports.”

Also evolving — the CFP. Under the arrangement in place for the playoff, the Big Ten and SEC have the power to decide what comes next. The ESPN-mandated deadline for that decision is next Friday and the two conferences head into negotiations this weekend with very different views of what should happen.

Phillips and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark will also be sitting at the negotiating table. Time will tell if sitting there as the commissioner of a league that put a team in this year's final gives Phillips any more say in these conversations.

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Miami quarterback Carson Beck scores a touchdown during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal game against Mississippi, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Miami football head coach Mario Cristobal speaks during an interview on the team's indoor practice field in Coral Gables, Fla., Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

NEW YORK (AP) — Bo Bichette and the New York Mets agreed Friday to a $126 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical and had not been announced.

A two-time All-Star shortstop with the Toronto Blue Jays, Bichette will move to third base with the Mets, who have Francisco Lindor at shortstop. Bichette has never played a professional game at the hot corner.

Bichette can opt out of the deal after the first or second season to become a free agent again. He would receive $47 million for one year and $89 million for two years, the person said.

The deal does not contain any deferred money and Bichette gets a full no-trade provision. His $42 million average annual value ties for the sixth-highest in baseball history.

It was the latest big development in an eventful offseason for the Mets, who angered fans by letting popular slugger Pete Alonso and star closer Edwin Díaz leave in free agency. President of baseball operations David Stearns also traded two other stalwarts, outfielder Brandon Nimmo and versatile veteran Jeff McNeil — both homegrown players.

New York signed closer Devin Williams to a $51 million, three-year contract, infielder Jorge Polanco to a $40 million, two-year deal and reliever Luke Weaver to a $22 million, two-year agreement.

Although he lacks Alonso's prodigious power, Bichette is a proven hitter with lightning-fast hands and a penchant for line-drive doubles. He would give the Mets a dangerous right-handed bat to help complement lefty slugger Juan Soto.

Because of his inexperience at third, however, Bichette becomes the latest question mark in the field for New York even though Stearns has insisted the team must improve its defense and is determined to do so.

Polanco has one pitch of major league experience at first base, where he and Mark Vientos, previously a third baseman, are the leading candidates to replace Alonso.

New York had planned to start Brett Baty at third, where he provides a strong glove. Baty, who also has experience at second base, is viewed as a versatile defender who could see time in the outfield and perhaps at first.

Or, the Mets could look to trade Baty for pitching or outfield help. Gold Glove winner Marcus Semien is set to play second after arriving from Texas in a November trade for Nimmo.

Bichette batted .311 with 18 home runs, 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS in 139 games for the Blue Jays last year. He homered off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Late last season, Bichette sprained his left knee in a Sept. 6 collision with New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells, keeping the infielder out of the lineup until the World Series. He returned for Game 1 against the Dodgers and played second base for the first time in six years.

Bichette led the American League in hits in 2021 and 2022. He finished second in the major leagues in batting average last season to Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.

Bichette turned down a $22,025,000 qualifying offer from the Blue Jays in November, so they would receive an extra draft pick in July after the fourth round if he completes his deal with the Mets.

New York would forfeit its second- and fifth-highest draft picks, along with $1 million in 2027 international signing bonus pool allocation.

Bichette was one of the last remaining big-name hitters on the free agent market after outfielder Kyle Tucker spurned the Mets and agreed Thursday to a $240 million, four-year contract with the Dodgers.

Bichette, who turns 28 in March, has spent his entire career with the Blue Jays since they selected him in the second round of the 2016 amateur draft. He is a .294 career hitter with 111 home runs and an .806 OPS in 748 major league games.

He is a son of former big league slugger Dante Bichette, a four-time All-Star outfielder.

AP Baseball Writers Ronald Blum and David Brandt and AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

FILE - Toronto Blue Jays' Bo Bichette celebrates his three run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 7 of baseball's World Series, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

FILE - New York Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns responds to questions during a news conference about MLB trade deadline deals, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)