There’s no indication that the Miami Hurricanes are on the verge of leaving the ACC.
But if you ask longtime college football reporter Brett McMurphy where Miami will be at the end of the decade, he doesn’t think it’ll still be in the conference.
McMurphy recently joined Canes Pulse and was asked about Miami’s long-term future in the ACC as college football prepares for another set of conference realignment in the years to come. While he made it clear he has no inside information, he also made it equally clear where he believes things are headed.
“I have no inside information that they’re moving or that they’re going to move or whatever. But if you’re asking if Miami is going to be in the ACC after 2030, my strictly 100 percent my opinion is, no, they’re not,” McMurphy said.
McMurphy also acknowledged schools are always going to publicly support the conference they’re currently in.
“They’re like, ‘We’re a happy and compliant member of the ACC and we love the ACC.’ And I said, okay, I see what you’re doing here. And I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, you’re fully committed until you’re not.’ Which is what I fully expect any school to say.”
Why 2030 Matters for Miami and the ACC
McMurphy didn’t randomly pick 2030.
In early 2025, ESPN exercised its option to extend its media rights agreement with the ACC through 2036.
Not long after, the ACC, Clemson and Florida State agreed to settle their lengthy legal battle over the conference’s grant of rights and revenue distribution model, per ESPN.
As part of the settlement, the conference adopted a new viewership-based revenue model while also establishing a much clearer path for schools that eventually want to leave. Exit costs now gradually decrease before leveling off around the 2030-31 athletic year, which is why many continue to view that timeframe as the next major checkpoint in conference realignment.
That timeline also makes Miami one of the more fascinating schools to watch.
The Hurricanes have consistently been one of the ACC’s biggest television draws. According to FootballScoop, Miami appeared in seven of the 100 most-watched college football games during the 2025 season, with all seven ranking inside the top 20.
That included the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Indiana, which averaged 30.1 million viewers. According to The Associated Press, it was the most-watched college football game in 11 years and the second-most watched CFP national championship game ever.
Miami President Previously Pointed to Viewership
McMurphy’s comments also line up with what University of Miami president Joe Echevarria said back in January during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“A big part of this is brands and viewership, because it is a business. Networks, streamers, ESPN — one of our great partners — they’re looking at viewership, and viewership drives the contracts,” Echevarria said.
“I tell people all the time: in the ACC, we are playing for our next contract right now. Right now. We need to improve viewership top to bottom. We happen to be one of the top-viewed programs, but the conference as a whole needs to continue to invest in athletics so we can have success on the field.”
Those comments may be even more relevant today than they were six months ago.
Miami has done its part when it comes to television ratings, and under the ACC’s new revenue model, programs that consistently deliver viewers stand to benefit the most.
Whether that’s enough to keep the Hurricanes in the ACC beyond 2030 is another question entirely.
McMurphy doesn’t believe it will be.
He may not have inside information, but if his prediction proves accurate, conference realignment could once again include one of college football’s biggest brands before the decade is over.
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