ACC faces nightmare scenario in latest CFP rankings
ACC could miss College Football Playoff if Duke upsets Virginia
We’ve arrived at judgment day for Miami football. Will the Hurricanes make the College Football Playoff, or be one of the last ones out for the second year in a row?
Throughout the past couple weeks, it has seemed more and more likely that Miami is headed for another season just missing the expanded CFP bracket. Despite Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor wrecking opposing offenses all season and freshman Malachi Toney setting the world ablaze with his dynamic playmaking skills, UM has been stuck on the outside looking in since the first CFP rankings were revealed.
The Hurricanes dug themselves into a hole thanks to two losses, to Louisville on a Friday night and at SMU two weeks later. They finished 10-2, the same as Notre Dame, which Miami beat in Week 1 but which has sat comfortably in the top-10 thanks to a season-ending 10-game winning streak. And thanks to the conference’s bizarre tiebreaker scenarios, Miami didn’t even get a chance to play for an automatic berth in the ACC championship. It had to sit, watch and hope that Alabama or BYU didn’t take away another slot in the CFP on Saturday.
Watch College Football Playoff rankings release
Miami football’s odds to make CFP bracket
Miami’s chances to make the College Football Playoff have improved over the past week. Here are the latest odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, Dec. 5:
- Make CFP: +400
- Miss CFP: -525
Miami football predictions for CFP bracket
The chips fell where Miami needed them to Saturday, and now it’s time to see whether the selection committee has one more ace up its sleeve. Chairman Hunter Yurachek said there was a way for a team who didn’t play on Championship Saturday to make the playoff, and we choose to take him at his word. The Hurricanes will get the last at-large bid and receive the No. 10 seed, heading to No. 7 Texas A&M for the first round.
Why Miami football can make CFP bracket
We all know Miami beat Notre Dame head-to-head to open the season. Of the four common opponents they share, UM beat three by more than Notre Dame did, though the amount by which the Irish toasted Syracuse gives them the overall edge in point differential. And while the Hurricanes rank below the Irish in ESPN’s SP+ rankings, they are ahead of all other bubble teams, including Oklahoma, Alabama and BYU. Miami also won easily against Florida State, which beat Bama, and pounded Stanford by more than BYU did. BYU and Alabama both getting obliterated in their conference championship games offers an opening for the Hurricanes.
Why Miami football could be left out of CFP bracket
Mainly because the selection committee has refused to measure Miami’s win over Notre Dame on equal footing with their losses. Those L’s to 8-4 Louisville and SMU aren’t great, especially considering the other bubble teams suffered one or more defeats to teams either locked into the CFP or on the bubble (Alabama’s season-opening loss at FSU and Texas’ loss to Florida being notable exceptions). The Hurricanes also rank 14th in ESPN’s strength of record metric — behind Bama, Vanderbilt, Texas and Notre Dame — and 44th in strength of schedule, just behind the Irish but well behind the SEC bubble teams. Ultimately, Miami might get left out because it allowed the ACC’s tiebreaker mess to become a main character in the first place.
College Football Playoff announcement today
The final CFP rankings will be released on Sunday, Dec. 7. Fans can watch the College Football Playoff selection show on ESPN or stream it on Fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers.
What time is the College Football Playoff selection show today?
The CFP rankings selection show is scheduled to begin at noon ET on Sunday, Dec. 7.
College Football Playoff bracket 2025-26 dates
- First round: Dec. 19 and 20
- Quarterfinals: Dec. 31 and Jan. 1
- Semifinals: Jan. 8 and 9
- National championship: Jan. 19
