With the initial CFP rankings out, you knew the College GameDay crew would be tossing out their opinions and speaking up for the home team (SEC). It didn't take long for the pandering to begin.
Miami is No. 1 in the initial rankings, although I expect that to eventually change: win or lose against Notre Dame. And that's because the ACC has quietly accepted its spot as the pariah in the Power 4 family. The poor reputation of this conference has also trickled down to Notre Dame, which came into the rankings at No. 11 with its best win over a North Carolina team that's probably a little better than its 4-4 record.
Unfortunately, that means we have to listen to the talking heads on ESPN's flagship college football preview show disparage Miami's accomplishments, and it didn't take long. Kirk Herbstreit is getting called out for his comments, and understandably so.
"Who has Miami played? We talk about they have the most historic offense... They haven't played anybody. Wake Forest. They've played Wake Forest who's a good team."
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) November 7, 2026
The conversation around Miami this season has been ridiculous.
They ALWAYS start the conversation by saying… pic.twitter.com/hj6RTAV2fb
"We've been talking all week about Notre Dame, the impact of this game and the wins they need. What about Miami?" Herbie said. "Who has Miami played? You talk about how they have the most historic offense. They haven't played anybody. They played Wake Forest, [which is] a good team, but that's it."
It's so disingenuous, and unfortunately Rece Davis repeated these same lines almost verbatim in a later segment. And it's such a lazy song and dance, 'Oh, Miami doesn't play anyone . . .you know, except for that top-20. It did play and beat on the road'. But who else? I expect a lazy take from Herbstreit, whose entire existence is to talk a lot while saying nothing, but I'm disappointed in Davis.
Miami has the results, but has questions about the resume
I'm not ignorant enough to think that playing Notre Dame isn't a big deal for Miami's resume. The Hurricanes' non-conference schedule outside the Irish isn't anything to talk about, so this game has a lot of meaning. No one is denying that. What I'm talking about is this perception that, because Miami plays in the ACC, it's immediately assumed the Hurricanes don't play anyone.
A lot of that is the fault of the ACC commissioner, Jim Phillips, who almost seems ashamed of the conference he leads. The one thing you'll never say about the SEC's Greg Sankey, Big Ten's Tony Petitti, and even Big XII outgoing commissioner Brent Yormark is that they are shy about pumping out their league. Yormark has stood out as a guy that talks big and has challenged his league to back up those words, and they have four teams in the CFP rankings. Meanwhile, Phillips is almost in hiding right now and the perception is that he's embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Sankey has the committee convinced that a win over 4-4 Mississippi State, a team that's gotten shellacked week after week since Kamario Taylor went down, is still a quality win, while beating the .500 Tar Heels, who had three one-score losses, is some throw-away win.
It's the same world where Alabama is No. 5, and eight spots ahead of a team it lost to by 16 points despite having the same record. Brand identification is everything in college sports and there's no system developed by humans that will eliminate that natural bias. All Miami can do is win, and if Duke wins in Week 10, that's a 7-2 team heading into Hard Rock Stadium next Saturday. A 7-2 team should count for something, but in the ESPN/SEC world, only 16 teams matter.
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