With the regular season now complete, the 2025-2026 College Football Playoff debate primarily centers around two bubble teams: Miami and Notre Dame. As the only head coach to face both teams, Pittsburgh's Pat Narduzzi feels strongly that only one should get in.
Narduzzi's Panthers lost to both teams in the final three weeks of the season. Miami and Notre Dame both beat Pittsburgh in similar ways, but Narduzzi has been more impressed with what the Hurricanes have done all season long.
“They're both tough and imposing, but Miami is powerful up front and plays a really physical brand of football,” Narduzzi told On3 Sports reporter Brett McMurphy. “The real edge, though, is what they've shown week in and week out in ACC play. It's a grind in this league. Miami has proven they can handle that and still play at a championship level.”
Narduzzi's admission includes some ACC bias, but Miami still has the objectively better case. Notre Dame is two spots ahead of them at No. 10 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings update, but the Hurricanes own a head-to-head win over the Irish from Week 1.
What places Notre Dame ahead in the rankings is its 10-game win streak that began in Week 3. Miami suffered a pair of single-score losses to Louisville and SMU in the middle of the season to drop in the rankings before crawling back up.
But considering both only have one win over current top-25-ranked teams, it would be difficult to justify giving Notre Dame a big over Miami. Both are currently ranked in the top 12, but that does not depict the full CFP scene. Neither the ACC Championship Game winner nor the Group of Five bid is included in the top-12 rankings.
Miami, Notre Dame headline CFP bubble teams
Miami and Notre Dame headline the hotly contested College Football Playoff debate as the official announcements near. Texas, Vanderbilt and Alabama join them as the teams praying for a few specific conference championship game outcomes, with BYU joining them in the event of a second loss to Texas Tech.
The Big 12 Championship Game and the ACC Championship Game will be the most-watched matchups among bubble teams. Texas Tech is nearly guaranteed a spot even with a loss, but BYU would be forced to pray for an at-large bid if it falls short. Likewise, the unranked Duke Blue Devils could shake up the entire picture by winning the ACC title game and clinching a top-four seed out of nowhere.
With five SEC teams already in the picture, Texas and Vanderbilt are likely out of the discussion. Both Miami and Notre Dame will be left praying for a Texas Tech victory to have any hope of getting in.
