Miami Hurricanes Lose First-Round Bye in Latest College Football Playoff Ranking

Following a 31-24 loss to Notre Dame in South Bend (IN) last Saturday night, the Miami Hurricanes were bounced out of a first-round bye in the latest College Football Playoff Rankings, which were released on Tuesday night.

After initially being No. 1, the Selection Committee puts "The U" at No. 7.

Georgia sits at the throne as the new No. 1 following a 42-7 win over Ole Miss. Notre Dame advanced from No. 11 to No. 5; virtually clinching a spot in the College Football Playoffs.

"Miami didn't look great earily in the game [against the Fighting Irish," Selection Committee Chairman Hunter Yurachek said on ESPN. "You look at what happened just below them. Goeriga got a big win, Alabama got a big win, even UCLA got a big win on the road at Minnesota. It allowed there to be some movement from Miami dropping down some to Notre Dame coming up."

It's the Hurricanes' lone loss this season with three favorable games left on the regular-season schedule:

Nov. 14: Duke (12:00 p.m. E.T. kickoff; ABC)

Nov. 21: Virginia Tech

Nov. 28: Boston College

Win or lose against Notre Dame, the Hurricanes need to win the Atlantic Coast Conference to crack the bracket, given the lack of a competitive schecule. However, Saturday's results did increase the value of claiming the title. Without the ACC automatic bid, the Hurricanes will very likely be left out.

Quarterback Darian Mensah had an underwhelming performance against the Fighting Irish's front seven: 24 of 43 passes completed (55.8 percent; new season-low) while throwing for 269 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.

After trailing 24-3 early in the third quarter, the projected Heisman Trophy finalist needed to throw more for the Hurricanes to make a comeback. The offense had momentum with back-to-back touchdown drives, but Mensah's turnover disrupted it.

The Hurricanes fell an Elija Lofton-touchdown short of potentially forcing overtime.

Regardless, fate is still favorable in Coral Gables. Unlike last season, the Hurricanes have full control of all postseason hopes entering an extended homestand. Winning out results in clinching a berth to compete for the ACC title in Charlotte (NC) at Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 5. As ESPN and the College Football Playoffs solidified a 24-bracket expansion, it will be the last in its history, same as the Big 10, SEC, and Big 12, etc.

The Hurricanes have never won the ACC since officially joining in 2004 and winning it this season would be a poetic ending.

Although losing to Notre Dame didn't have a drastic effect, it cuts the margin of error thinner to accomplish something that has yet to be done in 22 years.

Wake Forest, the only other ACC contender ranked by the Selection Committee, sits at No. 13. Meanwhile, the Louisville Cardinals, SMU Mustangs, Blue Devils, and Clemson are left off, despite still being alive to win the league and steal the Hurricanes' only path to the College Football Playoffs.

The race only tightens the further it goes from here.

More Miami Hurricanes News:

- "Why the Miami Hurricanes Struggle to Generate Quarterback Pressure"

- "UM Men's Basketball Dips in Latest AP Poll, Dominate North Florida"

- "Does the Miami Hurricanes' Offensive Line Need Immediate, Drastic Changes?"