The Miami Hurricanes have dropped five spots to seventh in both College Football Polls for week 14. The Hurricanes dropped after a 24-14 upset loss on Friday at Pittsburgh.
The Miami Hurricanes loss drops them out of a secure spot in the top four for the College Football Playoff. They will have a chance to redeem themselves in Saturday’s ACC Championship game against Clemson.
Miami will have an extra day off after playing on Friday. Clemson defeated intrastate rival South Carolina on Saturday. The Hurricanes will have had more travel than the Tigers. The losses by number one Alabama and Miami moved Clemson up to first in both the AP Media Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Oklahoma, Auburn, Wisconsin, and Georgia all jumped ahead of the Hurricanes in addition to Clemson. Despite the loss, if Miami defeats Clemson, they should still be able to pass the loser of the SEC Championship game between Auburn and Georgia, Clemson and potentially Alabama and Wisconsin.
The undefeated Badgers are a consensus five-point underdog in the Big 10 Championship game against Ohio State. Miami is a consensus eight and a half point dog to the Tigers in the ACC Title game. Auburn is favored by three in the SEC Championship game. Oklahoma is a three favorite over TCU in the Big XII title game.
Inside the Loud House
While the Hurricanes fall in the polls might seem precipitous, it was only the fourth biggest of the week. Notre Dame and Mississippi State had the biggest drops in the polls this week.
The Irish dropped six spots in the coaches poll and eight in the media poll. Mississippi State dropped to 24th in both polls from 16th in the AP and 17th in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
The other big drop in the polls was Washington State. The Cougars dropped seven spots in both polls to 23rd and 24th. Virginia Tech is the only other ACC team that is ranked. The Hokies are 21st and 22nd.
Toledo who the Hurricanes defeated in September is fifth among others receiving votes in both polls. That equates to 30th in the country. The Rockets will play 7-5 Akron in the MAC Championship game on Saturday. A Toledo win can only help Miami. The Rockets finished the regular season 10-2.
Miami finished the 2016 season ranked 20th after a 31-14 victory over West Virginia in the Russell Athletic Bowl. The Hurricanes appearance in the ACC Championship game is Miami’s first.
Next: Can one loss Miami Hurricanes make College Football Playoff?
Miami’s ranking at seven is their highest at the end of a regular season since they finished an undefeated 2002 regular season with the nation’s top ranking. It’s also the first time they have been ranked at the end of the regular season since 2010.