CFB analyst Josh Pate predicts Miami to be upset by Oregon in CFP

Josh Pate's midseason bracket projects Miami's road to the College Football Playoff running through Hard Rock Stadium — but ending there against Oregon. In an updated CFP predictions post, Pate published his 12-team bracket that slots Miami as the No. 2 seed and has Oregon advancing to the national title game on the other side of an Alabama championship pick.

Pate's bracket places Miami as the No. 2 overall seed behind Ohio State, with Alabama and Texas Tech rounding out the teams with a bye. He seeds Oregon at No. 7 against No. 10 Notre Dame in the first round and ultimately has Alabama beating Oregon for the national title. Under the CFP's fixed 12-team bracket, a No. 2 seed draws the 7/10 winner in the quarterfinal; if Oregon advances out of its first-round game as Pate projects and then reaches the title game, the Ducks would have to eliminate Miami in the Hard Rock quarterfinal on the Hurricanes' side of the bracket.

The No. 2 seed would be positioned to play a quarterfinal at Hard Rock Stadium, it just so happens to be Miami this year, which is a potential home-field edge in Pate's scenario. But he still sees Oregon overcoming it. His updated bracket follows a turbulent Week 7 in which Oregon fell at home to Indiana and dropped to No. 8 in the AP Top 25, while Miami held at No. 2 behind Ohio State.

Through five games, Miami is averaging 35 points and 428 yards per game with an 8.6 yards-per-attempt passing clip and a 46.7% conversion rate on third down. Oregon enters Week 8 with 42.5 points and 464.3 yards per game, 8.4 yards per pass and 45.3% on third down.

Pate has been high on Miami this year, so the pick shouldn't come as any disrespect. He also mentioned in a reply under the post that he is still giving Miami a bye, and while they don't win a game, making the CFP and winning the ACC/securing one less game, is still respectable for a program that hasn't ever made the playoff.

Other notables from Pate's bracket: No. 8 Ole Miss loses to No. 9 Georgia (they play this upcoming Saturday), No. 5 Indiana loses to eventual-champ Alabama after beating No. 12 USF (G5 representative) in the first round, and Nebraska sneaks in the CFP at No. 11.