Notre Dame finally got the kind of win the College Football Playoff Selection Committee had been waiting to see.
The Irish’s 31-24 victory over Miami didn’t just change the conversation around Notre Dame - it changed the rankings. On ESPN’s rankings reveal show with Rece Davis, CFP Selection Committee chair Hunter Yurachek said Notre Dame had already looked like one of the country’s most complete teams, but the missing piece was a signature victory. Saturday night supplied it.
For much of the game, Notre Dame looked the part of a top-five team. Yurachek said the Irish were “dominating” while building a 24-3 lead, and that stretch made them look every bit worthy of the No. 5 spot.
Miami then fought back behind its offense led by QB Darian Mensah, turning the final score into a one-possession game. The committee took note of both sides of that arc: Notre Dame’s balance early, and Miami’s push late.
The head-to-head result is likely to carry more weight than the numbers debate surrounding the two teams. Miami still holds the edge in strength of record, but Notre Dame’s win over the Hurricanes gives the committee a direct answer to a question that had lingered for weeks. Both teams are 1-1 against current CFP Top 25 competition, which only sharpens the value of what happened on the field Saturday night.
“Notre Dame made one of the biggest moves of the week. We said last week that they had an opportunity to get a marquee win, and they did, beating the No. 1 team in the country in Miami,” Yurachek said to Davis on ESPN’s rankings release show, via Awful Announcing.
Notre Dame’s rise also came with help from elsewhere. Losses by BYU and Ole Miss opened the door for the Irish to climb six spots in the 12-team CFP rankings. Miami fell despite the competitive finish.
Yurachek pointed to a busy weekend elsewhere in the top 10 as well, noting that Georgia’s 42-7 win over Ole Miss, Alabama’s 31-13 road victory at LSU and UCLA’s road win at Minnesota all strengthened those teams’ positions and added more movement near the top of the bracket.
The committee also gave a clearer look at how it is handling Miami’s situation without Malachi Toney. Yurachek said the Hurricanes did not start well, while also giving Notre Dame’s defense credit for that. Still, Miami’s comeback mattered in the committee’s evaluation.
“Miami didn’t look great earlier in the game; give some credit to Notre Dame’s defense,” Yurachek said, via 247 Sports. “Miami found their way without Malachi Toney, came back and made that a ‘very competitive game.’”
That approach also showed how the committee is treating injuries in a limited sample. Rather than projecting what Miami might look like over a larger stretch without Toney, the group is sticking to what it has actually seen.
“We only have one game to evaluate Miami without Malachi Toney. So we can only use that metric,” Yurachek added.
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For Miami, the bigger takeaway is not just where the Hurricanes stand now, but how much future results could swing the entire field around them. The current playoff math leaves room for a few different scenarios, and the matchups that would follow could depend as much on committee perception as on what happens on the field. A couple more wins could make Miamis route look even cleaner, while one bad result could bring the old uncertainty right back. [Read more 🡒]
Miamis CFP Push Just Got Personal Against Duke
Miamis College Football Playoff push takes on a little extra edge this week with Duke coming to town, and the matchup comes loaded with familiar faces on both sidelines and in the lineup. Darian Mensah, who transferred from Duke to Miami after a legal dispute with his former school, is part of the storyline, while receiver Cooper Barkate is poised for a bigger role after another Miami pass catcher was injured.
There is also the matter of Manny Diaz returning to face the program he once led, this time as Dukes coach, which adds another layer to a game already carrying real stakes for the Hurricanes. With Miamis playoff hopes still in play, this is the kind of November meeting that can feel bigger than the standings, especially when the opponent arrives with so many personal connections. [Read more 🡒]