The Miami Hurricanes' hopes of making the College Football Playoffs may have hit a wall after the latest Selection Committee rankings were revealed.
The Miami Hurricanes concluded the regular season living up to their own message, which was controlling the controllable. After a difficult loss against the SMU Mustangs, with a final score of 26-20 in overtime, the margin of error was close to nothing. The program's hopes of making the College Football Playoffs were in jeopardy.
However, they responded to adversity with a four-game winning streak, dominating each opponent placed in front of them.
The Hurricanes' offense averaged 37.8 points, 450 total yards, and recorded 19 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the defense only allowed an average of 10.3 points, 263 total yards, and five total touchdowns throughout that span.
After defeating the Pitt Panthers with a final score of 38-7, Mario Cristobal claimed that they are a "College Football Playoff team."
"The best part about football, you get to settle it on the field," he added. "Where head-to-head is always the number one criteria for anything regarding athletics and football."
The Hurricanes' hopes of securing a spot in the 12-team bracket lie in the hands of the Selection Committee, which hasn't shown the South Florida program any favors. They finished 12th in the most recent rankings, but still needed to make another jump in the list. After not getting the help necessary to qualify for the ACC championship game and a chance to compete for an automatic bid, an "at-large" bid is the goal.
There may be an opportunity for the Hurricanes to jump due to outside factors, starting with the results on the field.
The BYU Cougars were ahead of them in the most recent rankings and faced the UCF Knights to conclude the regular season. They won the game, with a final score of 41-21, but faced an early 14-point deficit.
It's a similar situation to when the Utah Utes faced the unranked Kansas State Wildcats and won the game with a final score of 51-47, but faced a first-half 10-point deficit. That allowed the Hurricanes to climb the previous rankings.
Also, the college football world shook after Lane Kiffin officially split with the Ole Miss Rebels after accepting the head coaching job at Louisiana State University. He wished to continue coaching the Mississippi program for the playoffs and potentially compete for a National Championship, but was denied his request.
Kiffin is a big piece in the Rebels' success this season, finishing with an 11-1 record, but his departure could result in a massive fallout with the Selection Committee. A similar situation occurred in 2023, when the Florida State Seminoles finished the regular season undefeated, 13-0, but were left out of the playoffs due to quarterback Jordan Travis suffering a devastating season-ending injury.
The Hurricanes may have an opportunity to jump a couple of slots, but unfortunately, nothing benefited them. They remain at 12th in the latest College Football Playoff rankings.
Interesting how the Texas Longhorns finished right behind them, and ahead of the Vanderbilt Commodores, who they beat during the regular season. Maybe head-to-head has its own criteria among the Selection Committee.
The Rebels moved to sixth, despite Kiffin's departure, which shares that it's not being taken to the same account as when the Seminoles lost Travis in 2023.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish dropped a singular spot in the latest rankings, but that still means their head-to-head matchup against the Hurricanes isn't regarded. Also, the Cougars finished between them.
Chairman Hunter Yurachek didn't elaborate much on the Hurricanes' status when speaking to ESPN. The message may have been that nothing is yet certain until the championship games are completed, but it will take a miracle for them to pass the Fighting Irish.
More Miami Hurricanes News:
- "Hurricanes Survive Hoyas' Second-Half Surge In ESPN Tournament"
- "Hurricanes' Self-Inflicted Errors Result In Cougars' Victory"
- "Hurricanes' Mark Fletcher Jr. Reveals Motivation Behind Season Success"
- "Hurricanes Failed Opportunity Against Reigning Champion Gators"