College Football Playoff Rankings Heat Up
The competition for College Football Playoff spots is intensifying, and the committee’s decisions are becoming more apparent.
Currently, Notre Dame holds the ninth position, placing them ahead of Miami, which is ranked thirteenth despite having defeated the Fighting Irish earlier this season.
Hunter Yurachek, the chairman of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, discussed the rankings on ESPN, stating, “If you compare the losses of Notre Dame and Miami, it’s pretty telling.” He pointed out that “Miami has lost to two teams that weren’t ranked, while Notre Dame has lost to two teams that are in the top 13.”
Although Notre Dame lost to Miami 27-24 during their season opener, the selection committee doesn’t seem to weigh close records heavily when sorting teams out. Both teams share an 8-2 record, yet Miami has three wins against top 25 teams, unlike Notre Dame, which has two.
Notre Dame’s sole defeat came at the hands of No. 3 Texas A&M, contrasting with Miami’s losses to unranked Louisville and SMU. However, Miami’s stronger win could give them an edge.
To qualify for the College Football Playoffs, Miami will need to either secure some assistance or win the ACC Championship later in the season, as only the top twelve teams from the selection process make it in.
In the ACC, four teams with one loss each are ranked higher than Miami: Georgia Tech, the University of Virginia, Pittsburgh, and SMU.
Expect Notre Dame to maintain their edge for the time being since they are expected to win against a weakened Syracuse squad and also have a matchup against Stanford later in November.
Alabama currently sits at tenth place, followed by BYU at eleventh and Utah at twelfth, all of which have two losses. Alabama notably struggled in their opening match against Florida State and lost recently to Oklahoma State.
This weekend, Alabama is favored against Eastern Illinois and will also be heavy favorites in the Iron Bowl against Auburn.
Meanwhile, both Utah (8-2) and BYU (9-1) are gearing up to face unranked teams as they vie for spots in the Big 12 title game, which offers automatic entry into the College Football Playoffs.
