The penultimate College Football Playoff rankings were released on December 2 before the final 12-team field is announced on December 7. And like it has been for weeks now, the debate between Miami and Notre Dame refuses to go away.
The Hurricanes stayed at No. 12, while Notre Dame mysteriously dropped a spot to No. 10, with Alabama sliding ahead to No. 9. That leaves Miami as one of the first two teams out along with No. 11 BYU, who could play their way in with a win over No. 4 Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship Game.
But again, everything continues to revolve around Miami versus Notre Dame and whether their Week 1 head-to-head matchup — a 27-24 Hurricanes win — is actually going to matter when the committee makes its final selections.
Miami’s best hope of jumping Notre Dame at this point likely hinges on Texas Tech beating BYU. That scenario would move Miami up to No. 11, directly behind the Irish at No. 10. When ESPN’s Rece Davis asked CFP committee chair Hunter Yurachek if idle teams could move up, Yurachek said yes.
“Yes, teams that are idle can move up or down,” Yurachek said.
That’s the kind of comment Miami fans want to hear — but it could also just be the committee’s way of keeping suspense alive heading into the final rankings.
Hunter Yurachek’s Words Should Be Taken With Caution in Miami-Notre Dame Debate
Trying to figure out how the CFP committee evaluates teams has become its own sport at this point. But as Yurachek told Davis about idle teams moving up or down, what he said leading up to that should concern Miami.
Yurachek only specifically mentioned that strength of schedule will play a major role in determining the final at-large bids in his remarks to Davis. The issue for Miami is that the Hurricanes rank 44th in strength of schedule, while Notre Dame sits slightly better at 42nd.
Is Yurachek just covering all bases? Possibly. But it could also provide the committee yet another convenient justification to keep Notre Dame above Miami, completely negating the head-to-head result.
Alabama Loss Could Actually Keep Miami Out of CFP
During their reaction to the Week 14 rankings, Stewart Mandel and Ralph Russo discussed a scenario on The Audible Podcast that could leave Miami on the wrong side of the playoff again — and it involves Alabama losing.
Some believe that if Alabama loses to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, the Crimson Tide would fall out of the top 12. But a close loss could still keep them in the field. Either way, Mandel noted that it could actually create an opening for the committee to bump Notre Dame up from No. 10, keeping them separated from Miami and thus out of the playoff.
“I didn’t even consider that Bama losing now moves them down one and keeps that Miami-Notre Dame separation. That feels like monkey business,” Russo said.
That would be a nightmare outcome for Miami. It would leave the Hurricanes on the outside looking in for the second straight year despite finishing 10-2 — all while having a head-to-head win over the Irish the committee may decide not to honor.
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