The latest College Football Playoff rankings, released Tuesday night, have ignited major controversy among fans.
Among the polarizing issues is the fact that Alabama leapfrogged Miami to secure a higher position.
With the Hurricanes now sitting just outside the playoff field, CFP selection committee chair Warde Manuel provided insight into the decision.
“Obviously we think highly of both teams, one’s at 11, one’s at 12, but what it really came down to is Alabama is 3-1 against current top 25 teams and Miami is 0-1,” Manuel said.
“Alabama is 6-1 against teams above .500 and Miami is 4-2. Both have had some losses that weren’t what they wanted out of those games but in the last three games, Miami has lost twice, and so for us in evaluating their body of work, we felt that Alabama got the edge over Miami.”
The committee’s reasoning appears grounded in its emphasis on quality wins.
However, critics have noted the dramatic shift in rankings. Last week, Miami was ranked sixth, while Alabama sat at 13th. The Hurricanes dropped six spots after a close 42-38 road loss to No. 22 Syracuse, while Alabama climbed following a win over a sub-.500 Auburn team in the Iron Bowl.
Manuel acknowledged Alabama’s record against above-.500 teams had not changed from the prior week but underscored that Miami’s recent losses played a significant role in the evaluation.
Adding to the stakes, Manuel confirmed that the committee will not re-assess teams not competing in conference championship games next week.
This leaves Miami needing external help—a loss from another playoff contender—to reclaim its position.
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal made his case for the Hurricanes during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter, pointing to the team’s 10-win season as a key qualification.
“Miami has certainly done enough to be in the playoffs due to the fact that Miami has won 10 games. As opposed to some other candidates that have won nine games,” Cristobal said.
“Miami winning 10 is certainly stronger than teams winning nine games.”
Despite this, an ESPN graphic revealed that SEC contenders Alabama, South Carolina, and Ole Miss, all with three losses, faced tougher schedules than Miami.
Cristobal highlighted his team’s signature wins, including a dominant 50-15 victory over South Florida, contrasting it with Alabama’s 42-16 win against the same opponent.
“I would say teams showcased very different capabilities in terms of their control of the football game,” Cristobal said. “So I think there’s enough comparables out there that gives you an opportunity to see what versus who.
“And at the same time, Miami ends the season with the No. 1-ranked offense in the country. A generational offense.”
Cristobal also pointed to Miami’s commanding victory over the Florida Gators in Gainesville as further evidence of its playoff-worthiness.
Despite Cristobal’s advocacy, Miami’s CFP prospects are dim, with ESPN’s Playoff Predictor giving the team just a 24% chance of securing one of 12 spots in the expanded postseason.
Much now hinges on the outcome of Saturday’s ACC Championship Game between Clemson and SMU.
While Clemson needs a win over SMU to secure an automatic bid, an 11-1 Mustangs team would likely get the nod over Miami and other SEC contenders even with a loss.
We knew that even with the playoff field expanding to 12-teams (and ultimately 14), there was always going to be debate. That is absolutely unavoidable.
No matter what the circumstance, you will always have multiple teams who feel like they’ve gotten screwed.
The majority of the college football world has looked at Miami as a bit of fool’s gold when trying to judge who the truly elite teams in the country are.
What are your thoughts on the Hurricanes most likely being left out of the playoffs?
Not that this argument should be the be-all end-all, but if Miami were to play Alabama ten times – how many of those games would they actually win?
Perhaps the more important question is did Ole Miss and/or South Carolina get screwed the most?
What are your overall thoughts on the playoff field???
