Does Miami Deserve a Spot in the CFP?
Within the world of college football right now, there is one debate that has been superseding everything else. Who deserves one of the last at-large bids to the CFP: Miami or Notre Dame? Simply speaking, Miami took down the Fighting Irish during Week One of the regular season, and if there were to be a head-to-head argument, Miami would win outright. As for the strength of losses, Notre Dame may win this category. However, it is a flawed argument, since the losses Miami has don’t matter, considering they have already beaten Notre Dame this season. On top of this, Miami's continued absence from the CFP and AP rankings proves that the committee clearly favors a team that cherry-picks its schedule, with weak ACC opponents, along with Navy and Boise State.
It is important to give some credit to the committee, as they finally got things right when they swapped Alabama and Notre Dame at the most recent rankings show. That being said, Miami still has a better resumé than Notre Dame, which includes wins over Pittsburgh and South Florida, and, for what it's worth, Miami beat Pitt worse than ND did. It is time for the committee to stop appeasing this independent, cherry-picking schedule that Notre Dame receives every year, and finally reward those who play actual conference games against sneaky opponents who can upset on any given Saturday. This is something that Notre Dame has strategically avoided, but still shoot themselves in the foot during the occasional upset.
Both Miami and Notre Dame can make the playoffs, but for that to happen, there would need to be a lot of nonsense this weekend. James Madison, North Texas, and Virginia would all need to lose, which would open the door for Miami and BYU, regardless of what happens in the Big 12 championship game. It doesn’t and shouldn’t matter that Miami beat Notre Dame all the way back in Week 1, because a loss is a loss, and if fans of the Fighting Irish wanted a better chance at the CFP, then they should’ve beaten Miami. It would not be surprising if the committee rewarded Notre Dame and punished Miami, but every college football fan knows the truth, even if we cannot witness it.
