The Miami football team could move up a spot in the College Football Playoff rankings despite a pair of unplanned bye weeks due to a COVID-19 breakout.
Despite games against Georgia Tech and Wake Forest canceled the last two weeks the Miami football team is poised to move up one spot in the AP Top 25 and College Football rankings and when the rankings come out on Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night. The losses by Northwestern and Oregon should benefit Miami.
The Miami football team was ranked 10th in the College Football Rankings released last Tuesday behind number eight Northwestern and number nine Georgia. The Wildcats were upset 29-20 at 2-3 Michigan State, the Bulldogs won big against South Carolina. AP number nine Oregon 41-38 at Oregon State on Friday night.
Miami is also tenth in the AP Top 25 one spot behind the Ducks. The Hurricanes are ninth in USA Today Coaches Top 25. All of the teams ranked ahead of Miami in the Coaches Poll won or are off this weekend because of COVID-19 outbreaks of their own, because of their opponents, or both. Miami is playing for a New Year’s Six Bowl.
The Hurricanes are an extreme longshot to make the College Football Playoff. With two weeks left in the regular season, Miami would need Clemson to lose once, Notre Dame twice, or both. The loss by North Carolina this weekend to Notre Dame nearly assures Miami to finish no worse than third in the ACC this season.
The Tar Heels are scheduled to play at the Hurricanes on December 12. That game could potentially be moved. North Carolina is scheduled to play Western Carolina next Saturday. With Wake Forest canceling the game with Miami on Saturday due to a continued COVID outbreak, the ACC could shuffle its schedule.
The Tar Heels games against the Catamounts and Hurricanes are their last regular-season games. With Western Carolina, an FCS team the game could be flipped with the Miami game against North Carolina to give Miami an opponent on December 5. North Carolina could then play Miami on December 12.
The ACC could then schedule Duke who Miami usually plays every year in the ACC Coastal, Boston College, or Syracuse against Miami on December 12. The Miami game tentatively scheduled for December 19 if the Hurricanes do not make the ACC Championship Game could also be moved to December 5.
That would require the Yellow Jackets game against North Carolina State scheduled for Saturday to be moved to December 19. If Miami and Georgia Tech were moved both the Yellow Jackets and Wolfpack would then have an open date on December 19. Everything is fluid and a decision will likely come over the next few days.