By Jordan SiglerShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe College Football Playoff selection committee has a brewing controversy on its hands between No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 13 Miami.
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The Irish lost their head-to-head matchup 27-24 on the road against the Hurricanes in Week 1 but have won eight games in a row (including wins against two top 25 teams) after starting the campaign 0-2. Miami has the same overall record (8-2) as ND before week 13, but has lost two games to unranked ACC opponents.
Miami is behind four ACC teams in the standings with only one conference loss: No. 16 Georgia Tech, No. 19 Virginia, Pittsburgh and SMU (who beat the Hurricanes 26-20 in overtime on Nov. 1).
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The Panthers and Yellow Jackets will play on Saturday, and Miami will finish the regular season against Pitt on Nov. 29. By winning out and getting some help, the Hurricanes have a chance to make and win the ACC championship to earn a spot in the CFP.
ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks winning the conference championship is Miami's only path to the CFP unless something drastic happens. He surprisingly predicted Notre Dame to get in over the Hurricanes despite the Week 1 result.
“If I were a Miami fan, I’d be concerned,” Herbstreit said recently on Nonstop. “Notre Dame is sitting there at No. 9. They’ve got Syracuse and Stanford (left to play in the regular season). Assuming they win both of those games convincingly, we’re still going to be saying they’re not playing anybody, but they’re going to win 49-10.
"What could you do if you’re on that committee to say, ‘We got to move Notre Dame back?’ Or what can Miami do to say, ‘We got to get Miami up?’ If they won the ACC, if they get into the ACC championship, that might be another (way). But right now, they’re on the outside looking in there."
Miami can't overlook Saturday's opponent. The Hurricanes will travel to play Virginia Tech. That program should be charged up after hiring James Franklin as its head coach for 2026.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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