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One of the biggest losers of Tuesday's College Football Playoff rankings reveal was Miami. The Hurricanes dropped six spots to No. 12 in the new rankings after blowing a 21-0 lead on Saturday against Syracuse and suffering their second loss of the season in a 42-38 barnburner.
Miami currently sits as the first team out of the projected field due to the automatic bid that will go to the eventual Big 12 champion, which will either be No. 15 Arizona State or No. 16 Iowa State. Crucially, Miami dropped below 9-3 Alabama in the rankings, and the Crimson Tide currently occupy that final at-large spot.
After the rankings were revealed, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips released a statement expressing his disgust with Miami's placement, via Brett McMurphy of Action Network.
“We are also incredibly shocked and disappointed that Miami dropped six spots to No. 12,” part of the statement read. “Miami has more wins and fewer losses than the team directly ahead of them and a dominant victory over an SEC team whose late-season surge includes a win over No. 13 Ole Miss. Moreover, with two losses by a combined nine points — to a ranked Syracuse team and a Georgia Tech team that just took No. 5 Georgia to eight overtimes – Miami absolutely deserves better from the Committee.
“As we look ahead to the final rankings, we hope the Committee will reconsider and put a deserving Miami in the field,” Phillips continued. “We will continue to look forward to this weekend, when Clemson and SMU have an opportunity to earn an ACC Championship and represent the conference in the CFP.”
Phillips doesn't seem likely to get his wish, as CFP chair Warde Manuel said after the reveal that teams who are not playing in a conference championship game would not move in the final rankings relative to other idle teams. If that holds true, Miami is in a heap of trouble.
Cam Ward, Miami blew their chance at CFP glory
Unless something crazy happens between now and next Sunday when the final CFP rankings are revealed and the 12-team field is officially set in stone, it looks like Miami will be on the outside looking in.
It's a shame for a team that has been such an exciting watch this season led by Heisman Trophy contender Cam Ward at quarterback. The Hurricanes are a flawed group, but there's no doubt that they have the explosiveness to put a scare into just about anyone.
Despite all of that, Ward and his team have nowhere to look but in the mirror and nobody to blame but themselves. Miami was ranked No. 6 in the nation heading into its final regular season game against Syracuse and would have been comfortably in the field with a win, even if it lost an eventual conference championship game.
Instead, Miami shockingly blew a 21-0 lead against a good Syracuse team. Kyle McCord caught fire and led the Orange all the way back to snag a 42-38 win where Miami left chance after chance on the field. That loss knocked Miami out of the ACC Championship Game and put Clemson in, and it also put Miami's fate in the hands of the committee.
As it turns out, Miami didn't get what it had hoped. Unless Phillips' last-ditch plea for the committee to change its mind works, the Hurricanes will be left to ponder the one that got away last Saturday.
