The Miami Hurricanes' postseason hopes are more alive than ever!
The Miami Hurricanes will prepare for the final game of the season this Saturday against the Pitt Panthers on their home field. It will determine, to a certain degree, whether or not the program earns a spot in the College Football Playoffs.
It's been a wild race, with other teams also fighting to get in. These last few games have significant meaning, especially for the Hurricanes. They're coming off a strong victory against the Virginia Tech Hokies, with a final score of 34-17.
Carson Beck completed 27 of 32 passes for 320 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. The redshirt senior has performed tremendously during the team's three-game winning streak. If the season were narrowed down only to that span, he'd still be in the Heisman Trophy race.
The Hurricanes' offense has clicked since week 11's loss to the SMU Mustangs, which put their backs against the wall in the first place. Afterwards, they've averaged 37.7 points for 461.3 total yards, including 10 total touchdowns.
The defense has also tightened up, allowing an average of 11.3 points and 274.3 total yards, including 11 sacks, four forced fumbles, 25 tackles for loss, four interceptions, and two pick-sixes.
Mario Cristobal has the team playing playoff-caliber football on both sides of the field. However, that decision is in the hands of the Selection Committee. They had the program ranked 13th in the last rankings, which was a two-slot advancement from the previous list.
The Hurricanes have been projected to crack the 12-team bracket, but only because they're the highest-ranked program in the ACC. The automatic bid goes to the champion of the conference. Their best chance is through an "at-large" bid, which is decided by the committee, but would need to reach the top 10 to make a strong case.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Alabama Crimson Tide, and BYU Cougars dominated their respective opponents this past weekend, beating them by an average margin of 43.7 points. However, the Utah Utes only defeated the unranked Kansas State Wildcats by less than one possession, with a final score of 51-47.
This could open an opportunity for the Hurricanes to jump another slot, which was exactly the case, as they finished 12th in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, ahead of the Utah Utes.
It makes this week's matchup against the Panthers much more important. It's not about only winning, but dominating the scoreboard, as the Hurricanes did to the North Carolina State Wolfpack, beating them with a final score of 41-7.
The debate about the Hurricanes, the Fighting Irish, and head-to-head matchups continues:
"In comparison to Notre Dame and Miami, they were compared this week, but they're compared in the same pod with Alabama and a one-loss BYU," Selection Committee Chairman Hunter Yurachek said. "The committee still feels that Notre Dame is a complete team, has been consistent throughout the season, and deserves to be ranked where they are at number nine, ahead of Alabama, a really good two-loss team with some great wins, a one-loss BYU team, and then Miami falls in accordingly."
Grabbing an "at-large" spot is seriously within reach.
More Miami Hurricanes News:
- "Hurricanes Focus Remains The Same Entering Season Finale"
- "Carson Beck Believes Hurricanes Have Playoff-Caliber Talent"
- "Hurricanes' Failed Opportunity Against Reigning Champion Gators"