Head-To-Head Prevails as No. 10 Miami Makes the College Football Playoff

At the end of the day, head-to-head mattered after all as Miami made the College Football Playoff.

Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney (10) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

It was a sweat-it-out process for the Miami Hurricanes, but at the end of the day, they are in the College Football Playoff.

It came at the expense of Notre Dame, but at the end of the day, the Hurricanes beat them during Week One, and that is what matters to the committee, after a rollercoaster explanation every week from committee chair Hunter Yuracheck

They are almost equal in their schedule strength, their moments, the results against their common opponents, but the one metric we had to fall back on again was the head-to-head," committee chair Yuracheck said. "I charged the committee members to go back and watch that game again, the Miami Notre Dame game, because it was so far back, and we've got some interesting debate from our coaches on what that game looked like as we watched it, and with that in mind, we gave Miami the nod over Notre Dame into that tin spot."

Now the Hurricanes will focus on Texas A&M as they travel to College Station for the team's first playoff game in program history.

2025 College Football Playoff Rankings

1. Indiana, 13-0
2. Ohio State, 12-1
3. Georgia, 12-1
4. Texas Tech 12-1
5. Oregon, 11-1
6. Ole Miss, 11-1
7. Texas A&M, 11-1
8. Oklahoma, 10-2
9. Alabama, 10-3
10. Miami, 10-2
11. Tulane, 12-1
12. JMU, 12-1

2025-26 College Football Playoff round-by-round schedule

• First round | Week of Saturday, Dec. 20
  Location: the home field of the higher-seeded team or another site designated by the higher-seeded program.
  One game | Friday, Dec. 19
  Three games | Saturday, Dec. 20
  
• Quarterfinal sites:
  Cotton Bowl | Wednesday, Dec. 31 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
  Orange Bowl | Thursday, Jan. 1 | 12 p.m. | ESPN
  Rose Bowl | Thursday, Jan. 1 | 4 p.m. | ESPN
  Sugar Bowl | Thursday, Jan. 1 | 8 p.m. | ESPN
  
• Semifinal sites:
  Fiesta Bowl | Thursday, Jan. 8 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
  Peach Bowl | Friday, Jan. 9 | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
  
• CFP National Championship Game:
  Monday, Jan. 19, 2026 (in Miami, Florida) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

The 2025 College Football Playoff Committee
Hunter Yuracheck - Committee Chair - Arkansas Athletic Director
Chris Ault - Former College Football Head Coach
Troy Dannen - Nebraska Athletic Director
Mark Dantonio - Former College Football Head Coach
Jeff Long - Former College Football Playoff Committee Chair
Ivan Maisel - Sportswriter
Chris Massaro - MTSU Athletic Director
Mike Riley - Former College Football Head Coach
David Sayler - Miami (Ohio) Athletic Director
Wesley Walls - College Football Hall of Famer (Ole Miss)
Carla Williams - Virginia Athletic Director
Mark Harlan - University of Utah Athletic Director

Miami in the College Football Playoff Ranking Through 2025

Week 1: No. 18
Week 2: No. 15
Week 3: No. 13
Week 4: No. 12
Week 5: No. 12
Week 6: No. 9

Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.

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