After the College Football Playoff Top 25 was released Tuesday, Miami jumped to No. 15 and became the highest-ranked ACC team, renewing hopes for a CFP berth. The move follows key nonconference wins, including a road victory over Notre Dame, and comes despite earlier losses to Louisville and SMU. The selection committee’s second ranking placed the Hurricanes ahead of idle Georgia Tech, putting Miami into current bracket projections but not guaranteeing entry. To reach the playoff the Canes must either secure the ACC title or build an at-large résumé strong enough to withstand scrutiny.
Key Takeaways
- Miami is ranked No. 15 in the CFP Top 25 after Week 11 and holds a 7–2 record heading into the final stretch.
- The Hurricanes are the highest-ranked ACC program, leapfrogging Georgia Tech, and currently sit in a projected CFP spot.
- Miami’s résumé includes a marquee road win over Notre Dame (ranked No. 9) and a victory over No. 24 South Florida.
- Head coach Mario Cristobal is 29–18 at Miami, a record that combines program rebuilding with uneven late-season outcomes.
- Vanderbilt (No. 14) and other contenders present competing at-large cases; committee emphasis on nonconference schedules benefits Miami.
- Key opponents with playoff implications include Texas, Oklahoma, BYU and Utah; conference title paths will shape available at-large slots.
- Miami’s two losses (Louisville, SMU) remain blemishes that could force reliance on committee judgment and chaotic tiebreakers.
Background
The College Football Playoff selection committee evaluates teams across multiple criteria, including overall record, strength of schedule, head-to-head results and quality wins. Nonconference victories — particularly against Power Five opponents — have grown in importance because they provide direct comparison points between leagues. Miami’s 2024 résumé is highlighted by a road win over Notre Dame, a result the committee currently values highly and which improved the Hurricanes’ standing relative to other ACC teams.
Historically, Miami has featured strong recruiting and occasional national-title contention, but recent seasons have been marked by late-season lapses and surprising losses. Last season’s defeats to Georgia Tech and Syracuse, and this season’s setbacks to Louisville and SMU, illustrate a pattern that committee members and fans watch closely. Those inconsistencies make Miami’s path to the CFP more dependent on both on-field performance in remaining games and the broader landscape of conference outcomes.
Main Event
The second CFP ranking, released Tuesday, moved Miami up three spots to No. 15 and ahead of Georgia Tech (No. 16), placing the Hurricanes in the current projected bracket as the ACC’s representative. Selection committee chair Mack Rhoades cited Miami’s nonconference résumé — notably the Notre Dame victory — as a differentiator. That single shift is enough to change public projections, but it does little to alter the substantive task Miami faces: winning out or building an at-large case that survives head-to-head comparisons and strength-of-schedule scrutiny.
Miami’s remaining schedule includes a final-week road game at Pittsburgh, currently No. 22, which could become another quality victory if both teams remain ranked. For an automatic berth, Miami would still need to reach and win the ACC championship game; the path there requires avoiding further slips and relying on results elsewhere in the league. If Miami cannot secure the conference crown, it will likely need the committee to award one of the limited at-large slots — a subjective judgement that favors clean résumés and signature wins.
Other contenders shape the at-large picture. Vanderbilt (No. 14) recently lost at Texas and faces Kentucky and Tennessee; the Commodores’ nonconference slate is weaker on paper compared with Miami’s. The Big 12 presents its own complexity: BYU (No. 12) and Utah (No. 13) have routes to conference championship games but also difficult remaining opponents, and Texas Tech’s results could determine how many teams that league sends to the CFP. Meanwhile, the SEC currently occupies two top-11 spots with Texas (No. 10) and Oklahoma (No. 11) positioned to claim at-large consideration depending on their final results.
Analysis & Implications
Miami’s rise to No. 15 illustrates the outsized role of a single high-profile nonconference win. The committee’s public comments show it values comparative wins when choosing between closely ranked teams; beating Notre Dame on the road is a clear résumé boost. That matters because Miami’s two losses remain a negative; the program cannot afford additional missteps and must accumulate at least one more quality signature to insulate itself in committee deliberations.
The ACC’s standing as a one-bid league this season would force Miami into an at-large fight if it does not win the conference title. Conference parity and unexpected results in final weeks can produce multi-team ties that complicate automatic bids, but those scenarios are rare. For Miami, depending on chaos elsewhere is not a strategy; the team must control its destiny by securing the wins available on its schedule and avoiding turnovers that have previously undercut late-game success.
Nationally, Miami’s position could influence how the committee weighs nonconference scheduling going forward. If the Hurricanes reach the CFP with an at-large berth largely credited to their Notre Dame victory, it reinforces the value of scheduling strong opponents outside the league. Conversely, if Miami fails to translate that win into postseason placement, critics will point to the team’s inconsistent play and question whether marquee nonconference wins should outweigh head-to-head criteria and conference performance.
Comparison & Data
| Team | CFP Rank | Record | Notable ranked wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 15 | 7–2 | Notre Dame (road), South Florida |
| Vanderbilt | 14 | 8–2 | Texas (win), Auburn (OT) |
| Notre Dame | 9 | 7–2 | Seven-game winning streak, multiple close losses early |
The table highlights why the committee may favor Miami: identical or similar records to immediate rivals, but a higher-impact nonconference victory. Vanderbilt’s résumé is stronger in conference wins but weaker in nonconference quality opponents. These trade-offs — quality wins versus consistency and conference standing — are exactly what the committee weighs when selecting at-large teams.
Reactions & Quotes
“Miami, certainly with the nonconference win over Notre Dame, was a key factor in Miami ahead of Georgia Tech.”
Mack Rhoades — CFP selection committee chair / Baylor athletic director
“Notre Dame is a team, they’ve won seven straight games. Early in the season, they lost the two by a total of four points.”
Mack Rhoades — CFP selection committee chair / Baylor athletic director
Committee remarks emphasize relative valuation of wins and consistency; members repeatedly point to head-to-head results, strength of schedule and the quality of nonconference opponents when explaining shifts in the Top 25. Those public comments frame Miami’s current opportunity and the metrics it must defend in the final weeks.
Unconfirmed
- Whether the committee will prioritize head-to-head results over other résumé components if Miami and Notre Dame finish with identical records is not finalized.
- Any scenario involving multi-team ties or chaotic conference outcomes that would create automatic at-large slots remains speculative and depends on results in the final two weeks.
Bottom Line
Miami’s move to No. 15 has reopened a plausible path to the College Football Playoff, driven largely by a high-profile nonconference victory and committee valuation of that result. The Hurricanes still face a narrow margin for error: the team must win remaining games and, ideally, add another quality win to persuade the selection committee if it does not secure the ACC title.
Fans should watch conference title races and the remaining head-to-head matchups across the Power Five; those outcomes will determine how many at-large slots exist and which leagues supply them. For Miami, the immediate task is simple and unforgiving: play clean football, limit turnovers and let the résumé — not hope alone — make the case to the committee.