Miami was 13th in the Week 12 College Football Playoff rankings. Heather Dinich of ESPN examined the "College Football Playoff 2025: Bubble Watch after Week 13." Dinich pointed out that Miami has won its last three games by at least 17 points.
The convincing victories by Miami came after CFP Committee Chairman Hunter Yurachek said they wanted to see more consistency from the Hurricanes. Miami quarterback Carson Beck has eight touchdown passes and has not thrown an interception in the past three games on 83 consecutive attempts.
Miami has a 13 percent chance of earning an ACC Championship Game berth. That is the third best behind SMU and Virginia, which both have above an 80.0 percent chance, per Dinich. If Miami does not beat Pittsburgh on Saturday, it will be eliminated from the discussion of earning a CFP berth.
Dinich stated it "would help if the committee ranked the Panthers tonight." The Week 14 Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls both rank Pittsburgh 24th and SMU 25th. SMU being ranked by the CFP committee would eliminate their statement that Miami has losses to two unranked teams.
"The Canes have a compelling case this week to unseat Utah for the No. 12 spot...That was Miami's first road win outside of its home state, which is something the committee has been waiting for. Miami's win against Notre Dame remains one of the best in the country, but until the Canes creep closer to the Irish in the ranking and join them in the same pool of teams the group votes on, they will likely remain behind the Irish."Heather Dinich, ESPN
How Miami compares to other CFP bubble teams
Miami is 13th and Utah 14th in the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls. The Hurricanes flipped with the Utes in the AP Top 25 and moved up two spots, while Utah remained 14th in the USA Today Coaches poll. Vanderbilt is 12th in both national polls.
Utah was 12th, Miami 13th and Vanderbilt 14th in the Week 12 CFP rankings. Vanderbilt beat Kentucky 45-17 on Saturday. Utah rallied to beat Kansas State but allowed 472 rushing yards. Miami won 34-18 at Virginia Tech on Saturday.
How the CFP committee views the outcomes of Miami, Utah, and Vanderbilt on Saturday will have a major impact on the rankings. Utah and Vanderbilt being ahead of Miami in the CFP rankings also keeps the Hurricanes from being compared to Notre Dame.
The CFP committee previously stated that Miami had to be within three games of Notre Dame in the same ranking pool for the Hurricanes' win over the Fighting Irish in the season opener to matter in the rankings. Notre Dame is currently ninth. Miami apparently has to be ranked 12th for its win over Notre Dame to be discussed by the CFP committee.