It’s official. The College Football Playoff bracket has been officially announced. The games will start on December 19th with Oklahoma hosting Alabama. And just like any other bracket, there were some surprises, such as Notre Dame being left out of the playoff. Past rankings had the Irish barely in the field. Although on Sunday it was a different story. So why were the Irish punished even though they didn’t play a game?
Why Did Miami Get in?
The biggest fact and takeaway for the last two weeks was that the committee had deemed Notre Dame better than Miami. The Irish were consistently ahead of the Hurricanes despite Miami beating Notre Dame earlier in the year.
This week, the first game of the season for both teams was one of the factors that CFP Committee Chair Hunter Yurachek used in his explanation. On the Selection show, Yuracheck explained that because BYU fell behind Miami in the rankings, it became two teams fighting for one spot. So Miami and Notre Dame were the only two teams that were being considered for the last spot. Then the committee decided the head-to-head matchup was enough to give Miami the nod.
BYU had a factor in all of this as well. The Cougars were the reason the Irish were able to stay ahead of Miami for so long, as when comparing the three teams, the committee had deemed Notre Dame the best. The Cougars’ loss to Texas Tech ultimately led to the Irish’s exit from the bracket.
What’s Next for Miami?
Miami will take on Texas A&M in College Station for its first-round matchup. The Hurricanes will probably have their hands full trying to prepare, as many thought their season was likely over. The good thing for this Miami team is that they seem to have found their footing. They have won their last 4 games by a good margin and look much improved from their earlier slip-ups.
Bottom Line
While Irish fans can’t be happy with what just happened, it seems to be a fair analysis from the committee. A head-to-head matchup against the team you are getting compared against should be an easy factor in the process. For now, Miami will be focused on the Aggies. For college football fans, all eyes turn to the first round, which starts in two weeks.
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