Miami’s first loss didn’t wipe out the work it did in the opening stretch of the season, and that matters when the College Football Playoff committee drops its second rankings Tuesday night. The Hurricanes are 8-1 now, but they still have a case to stay ahead of three teams already sitting in the top 10.
Indiana is the cleanest example. The Hoosiers came in at No. 4 in the initial CFP rankings and have since pushed to 8-1 with back-to-back overtime wins against Michigan and Minnesota after their Oct. 17 loss to Ohio State.
But Miami’s best win still carries more weight. The Hurricanes beat Wake Forest, which is 8-1, has won six straight and was ranked No. 16 in the first CFP rankings.
Indiana’s top victories are a 20-17 road win at Nebraska, now 5-4, and a 29-23 win over Northwestern, which is 6-3. The Hoosiers have also hit a rough patch on offense, averaging just 17.8 points over their last four games after scoring at least 29 in each of their first five.
Their wins over Michigan and Minnesota both went to overtime, and they managed only 22 points in regulation across those two games combined.
The loss comparison also favors Miami. Indiana’s defeat came against Ohio State, which is now 6-3 after losing Julian Sayin for the year, while Miami’s only setback came against Notre Dame, which improved to 8-1 with its win over the Hurricanes.
Alabama is a tougher debate, mostly because the Crimson Tide have played a much harder schedule. They strengthened their case Saturday with a 31-13 win at No.
14 LSU, and they already had wins over No. 6 Kentucky and No.
21 South Carolina when the committee placed them at No. 5 last week. But Alabama also has two losses, and one of them stands out: a 26-10 defeat at Tennessee in which the Tide scored just 10 points, their lowest output of the season.
Miami’s loss was by seven points on the road at Notre Dame, and it came without Malachi Toney. The committee should not weigh that more heavily than Alabama’s two defeats to Georgia and Tennessee combined.
Texas makes the strongest push of the three because the Longhorns have four wins over teams ranked in the initial CFP Top 25. They entered last week at No. 7 and improved to 7-2 after a 34-20 road win at No.
18 Missouri. Their resume already included victories over No.
12 Ohio State, No. 13 Tennessee and No.
10 Ole Miss. That said, Texas also has two losses in a row, both by 27-24 margins against Oklahoma and Florida, and both of those teams are 5-4.
Miami, by contrast, has only one loss, and it came against one of the nation’s best teams by seven points.
Miami’s schedule and results through nine games tell the story of why it still belongs in the conversation:
Sept. 5: W vs. North Texas, 52-16
Sept. 12: W vs. Howard, 55-0
Sept. 19: W vs. Western Kentucky, 38-0
Sept. 25: W vs. Northwestern, 29-23
Oct. 3: W at Rutgers, 47-15
Oct. 10: W at Nebraska, 20-17
Oct. 17: L vs. Ohio State, 19-15
Oct. 24: W at Michigan, 13-6 (OT)
Oct. 31: W vs. Minnesota, 23-16 (OT)
Nov. 14: vs. USC
Nov. 21: at Washington
Nov. 28: vs. Purdue
Texas’ schedule:
Sept. 5: W vs. East Carolina, 48-10
Sept. 12: W at Kentucky, 45-17
Sept. 19: W vs. Florida State, 50-36
Sept. 26: W vs. South Carolina, 49-18
Oct. 3: W at Mississippi State, 56-23
Oct. 10: L vs. Georgia, 20-17
Oct. 17: L at Tennessee, 26-10
Oct. 24: W vs. Texas A&M, 31-20
Nov. 7: W at LSU, 31-13
Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt
Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga
Nov. 28: vs. Auburn
Alabama’s 2026 schedule:
Sept. 5: W vs. East Carolina, 48-10
Sept. 12: W at Kentucky, 45-17
Sept. 19: W vs. Florida State, 50-36
Sept. 26: W vs. South Carolina, 49-18
Oct. 3: W at Mississippi State, 56-23
Oct. 10: L vs. Georgia, 20-17
Oct. 17: L at Tennessee, 26-10
Oct. 24: W vs. Texas A&M, 31-20
Nov. 7: W at LSU, 31-13
Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt
Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga
Nov. 28: vs. Auburn
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