Miami had a favorable path to the College Football Playoff in each of the last two seasons, but it will be left out on both occasions. The Hurricanes have blown its opportunities and failed to assert dominance in the suspect ACC, so it is difficult to shed a tear for them. However, there is one argument the program can make that at least warrants discussion, and it is one fans have been touting for a while now.
Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich reiterated it on Monday. “1-loss UGA beat 1-loss Ole Miss – ranked ahead of them,” he posted on X. “Ditto for Texas Tech over BYU. 2-loss OU beat 2-loss Bama who beat 2-loss Vandy. {CFP} rankings reflect those results. How is {Miami's} win over {Notre Dame} different? Head-to-head not ‘a' data point but ‘the' data point!”
The Canes were No. 14 in the latest CFP rankings and are unlikely to leap above BYU or Alabama, so the Fighting Irish are hardly their only concern. Radakovich's argument is simple enough to understand, however. Considering that Miami and Notre Dame both have two losses and are closely rated in strength of schedule and strength of record, one might assume that the head-to-head matchup they played on Aug. 31 would serve as the tiebreaker.
But Miami's 27-24 victory over Notre Dame is not enough to launch it above the No. 9-ranked team, at least not according to the CFP selection committee. Mario Cristobal's guys lost to Louisville at home and fell in overtime at SMU, while Marcus Freeman's squad breezed through its schedule after an 0-2 start to the campaign (also lost to Texas A&M).
Despite finishing the season strong — 38-7 road win versus then-No. 22 Pittsburgh on Saturday — Miami could not overcome in-conference slip-ups against two teams that were unranked at the time. Neither of Notre Dame's blemishes are ghastly, but one of them did come from the Hurricanes. While the two fan bases remain at war over their school's respective CFP qualifications, the committee already made its decision.
Is the CFP selection committee harping on Miami's shortcomings too much?
Based on the rankings, the head-to-head outcome will not tip the scale in Miami's favor. Dan Radakovich presents intriguing evidence for his program, but another reason Texas Tech and Oklahoma are above BYU and Alabama, respectively, is arguably because they avoided disaster. Miami football staggered versus two squads that each finished with four losses.
Radakovich and company can point to Alabama's loss to Florida State, whom the Canes beat on the road, but that was the only “unacceptable” defeat the Crimson Tide suffered this season. Balancing the importance of quality wins and glaring losses is an ongoing challenge, and it is particularly difficult when evaluating ACC and independent teams.
If No. 10 Bama and No. 11 BYU win their respective conference title games this weekend, then the College Football Playoff selection committee may not have to answer any more questions about the Miami-Notre Dame head-to-head situation.
