Miami and Notre Dame entered Week 7 undefeated and on a collision course for a Nov. 7 meeting in South Bend that would shape the College Football Playoff picture. And while the Fighting Irish suffered their first loss of the season, the stakes are still sky-high for the rematch next month.
The Hurricanes survived a double-overtime game against Florida State to stay undefeated and claim the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25, while Notre Dame fell 28-24 at BYU and suffered their first defeat of the season.
Here is a closer examination of how both teams performed, the injuries they are carrying into the next few weeks, and the remaining games that will determine the conditions under which they meet in November.
Both games come down to the wire
Miami Hurricanes
Miami improved to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the ACC by holding off Florida State 43-35 in double overtime.
The game preserved the Hurricanes' undefeated record even though the performance exposed some of the defensive vulnerabilities that had remained hidden through the first five games.
Darian Mensah threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns while also throwing his first interception of the season. Malachi Toney finished with 11 receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns before catching the go-ahead score in the second overtime and then throwing the two-point conversion to Cooper Barkate.
Miami has now outscored its opponents 291-84 through six games, yet the 35 points allowed against Florida State is something to keep an eye on.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame fell to 6-1 after a 28-24 loss at No. 8 BYU, a defeat that snapped a 16-game winning streak and forced the Fighting Irish to confront the reality that their early-season dominance had come against a schedule that offered limited resistance.
CJ Carr completed 27 of 49 passes for 261 yards without a touchdown or an interception, while Jaden Greathouse caught eight passes for 125 yards in what was easily his most productive outing of the year.
Notre Dame led 24-21 in the fourth quarter after a Jonaz Walton touchdown and two-point conversion, but the Irish could not generate a stop on BYU's ensuing drive and then failed to convert a late opportunity when Carr's final pass into the end zone fell incomplete.
Notre Dame remains in playoff consideration, but it does remove the margin for error that had previously existed and places additional pressure on the matchup against Miami in South Bend.
Injuries for Miami and Notre Dame
Miami
Malachi Toney left briefly for the medical tent with an apparent lower-leg issue before returning to the game, which suggests that whatever discomfort he experienced did not significantly limit him.
Bryce Fitzgerald exited early with an upper-body injury yet was able to return and make the game-sealing interception.
Zechariah Poyser was ejected for targeting in the first quarter, though the NCAA now allows players to not carry a suspension in the following game if it was the first targeting offense.
CharMar Brown, Joshua Moore, Max Buchanan, OJ Frederique and Ja'Boree Antoine remain out for extended periods, while Marquise Lightfoot, Xavier Lucas, Ezekiel Marcelin and Damari Brown returned before the FSU game and are expected to remain available as the Hurricanes prepare for Pitt.
Notre Dame
The Irish dealt with several absences earlier in the season, including Leonard Moore with a concussion, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa with a thumb injury, and Brauntae Johnson with a foot issue, but most of those players returned.
The remaining schedules before Nov. 7
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Oct. 24: Bye
- Oct. 31: vs. Navy (at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.)
- Nov. 7: vs. Miami
Notre Dame receives a bye week after the BYU loss before facing Navy in the Shamrock Series at Gillette Stadium.
The Irish remain heavy favorites in that game and a win over Navy would leave the Fighting Irish at 7-1 entering the Miami matchup.
Miami Hurricanes
- Oct. 24: vs. Pitt (5-2)
- Oct. 31: at North Carolina (4-2)
- Nov. 7: at Notre Dame
Miami hosts Pitt on Saturday in its first game as the AP's No. 1 team since the end of the 2002 regular season. Pitt has lost two consecutive games after starting quarterback Mason Heintschel suffered a season-ending torn ACL, which leaves the Panthers in a period of transition under true freshman Corey Dailey.
Miami then travels to North Carolina the following week before the trip to South Bend.
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