The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have the better ranking in Week 13 than the Miami Hurricanes despite having a similar record comparatively. In the latest College Football Playoff rankings, the Fighting Irish (8-2) were ranked No. 9, whereas the Canes find themselves at No. 13 (8-2).
College football analyst Aaron Taylor revealed the reason why the committee turned favorable to Notre Dame over Miami in their Week 13 rankings. Taylor pinpointed that because Notre Dame had better losses, they were given a better ranking than Miami.
“Losses matter, right? Lose less or lose well, because you look at Notre Dame, who’s sitting there in the nine hole,” Taylor said in a recent media appearance. “That’s ahead of Miami. Miami’s losses were to two teams that are currently unranked. Notre Dame’s losses, again, to use the word ironic, one of which was to No. 13 Miami. The other one is to one of three undefeated teams, and that’s Texas A&M. So, in the eyes of the committee, Notre Dame has a better résumé because they have better losses. And I’m not sure that’s the world we want to live in, but I sure am glad it is.”
It appears the College Football Playoff committee is placing more weight on quality of losses, strength of schedule, and consistency rather than just that one head-to-head outcome.
Notre Dame’s two losses came against Miami and undefeated Texas A&M. Meanwhile, Miami’s two losses were against unranked opponents, weakening their resume in the eyes of the committee.
Notre Dame and Miami’s Chances For CFP Qualification
The College Football Playoff field’s 12-team format was amended for this season, allowing more spots for high-ranking non-champion teams.
With their current 8-2 record, the Fighting Irish can’t afford to lose their remaining games against Syracuse and Stanford. Since they do not belong to any conference, their only way of qualifying is to get through at-large spots.
Meanwhile, Miami faces a steep challenge to qualify for the playoffs. They are currently just outside the projected 12-team field, and they will need more than just finishing well. They will have to secure the ACC title, which currently seems to be the best option for them to qualify for the playoffs.
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