ATLANTA — Miami could have brought a little clarity to the Atlantic Coast Conference race.

Instead, the outlook is as muddled as ever.

Ruining No. 23 Miami's return to the national rankings, the Yellow Jackets rushed for a staggering 472 yards out of their triple-option offense — the second-most ever allowed by the Hurricanes — and romped to a 41-23 victory Thursday night.

Georgia Tech (8-3, 5-3) took over first in the convoluted Coastal.

but the Yellow Jackets still need help because three other contenders would win a tiebreaker. Still, coach Paul Johnson stressed to his players that they've done all they can to earn a spot in the Dec. 6 ACC championship game.

Miami (7-4, 4-3) was in control of its destiny, but not anymore. Not after giving up more rushing yards than in any other game in school history except for a 536-yard effort by Auburn in 1944.

"In this conference, you never know who's going to win," coach Randy Shannon said. "Every week, you have to show up. This week, we didn't do a good job of showing up."