CFP committee still gets things wrong with Miami for 2nd rankings release

Miami moved up, and they are projected to be in the CFP, but something still doesn't add up. In the College Football Playoff committee's second Top 25 of the season released Tuesday night, the Hurricanes climbed three spots to No. 15, leapfrogging Georgia Tech (who was on a bye) after a chaotic ACC weekend shuffled the board.

Notre Dame sits No. 9, Texas Tech jumped to No. 6 after beating BYU, Virginia went down to No. 19 and Louisville slid to No. 20. It's progress for Miami, but the placement continues to ignore the Hurricanes' head-to-head win over the Irish (while also not honoring Louisville's head-to-head win over Miami).

Miami beat Notre Dame 27-24 in the opener at Hard Rock Stadium, a top-10 matchup that the Hurricanes closed with a late kick and a defensive stand. That should matter when two teams are grouped in the same neighborhood of the rankings. The committee's own protocol lists head-to-head competition among primary criteria when teams are comparable. Yet one week after ranking Notre Dame ahead of Miami, the committee doubled down by keeping the Irish in the top 10 and the Hurricanes at No. 15.

Now, apparently, if teams aren't within three spots of each other, the committee won't weigh individual resumes. But, that system seems flawed — although it should figure itself out as the season plays on.

Miami did benefit from the ACC reshuffle. Louisville lost in overtime to Cal and Virginia fell at home to Wake Forest, opening a lane for the Hurricanes to make a jump. It was a sensible adjustment considering their resume is much stronger — wins over USF, Notre Dame — when compared to the other ACC squads.

The inconsistency shows up when the committee does honor head-to-head elsewhere. Texas Tech's 29-7 win over previously unbeaten BYU on Saturday was decisive, and the Red Raiders sit above the Cougars in the new ranking. That is the same for the outcomes between Alabama-Georgia, Texas-Oklahoma, USC-Michigan, Virginia-Louisville and BYU-Utah. That's exactly how the process is supposed to work when there's a clean on-field answer.

Now, the committee always stresses total body of work. Enhanced metrics, strength of record, and schedule evaluation are part of the 2025 framework. Notre Dame's profile may grade out stronger when looking at the entire season, but the season opener should outweigh that.

Regardless of that decision, Miami is now the top-ranked ACC team, projecting them to be the No. 11 seed in the CFP if the season ended today. That is a major shift from where the program was after the SMU loss, It also indicates that if Miami takes care of business, they will rise in the rankings and get close enough to ND where the committee will have to honor the head-to-head. And that is what makes these rankings an overall win for Miami.

Other important notes: USF enters the rankings at No. 24, helping the Hurricanes resume. Louisville dropping behind Miami desppite winning their matchup is good for the Canes. It may go against everything Miami fans are fighting for regarding ND, but it is still a very good sign.