Top College Football Analyst Takes a Deeper Look Between Notre Dame and Miami
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It won't take long to see the difference between the Miami Hurricanes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Both teams have finished 10-2, and the question of who will be placed above the other in the College Football Playoff is starting to take shape. The question now is: Miami or Notre Dame?
ESPN's Greg McElroy has looked closely at the situation and knows that it might come down to those two teams for the final spot in the CFP, and the committee has a choice to either go by its rules or forget everything with it.
"The College Football Playoff committee is going to have to look at the eye test over some of the resume gaps and frankly right now some of the metrics between Miami and Notre Dame are literally right next to each other," McElroy said. "You look at strength of record and strength of schedule and there is two spots between the two. Now you have to wonder if these teams will be in the same group that the college football playoff chair has been telling us about. If they are in the same group, then you talk about the head-to-head match-up. Of course Miami won that game in the first game."
McElroy also highlighted how well Miami has been playing since the SMU loss and how the team has bounced back from that adversity.
"Carson Beck is playing his best football of the season. It was another surgical performance [at Pittsburgh] in the cold weather. It was windy and breezy. He was efficient in the game and did not make mistakes. Malachi Toney has been the best freshman in all of college football. He is one of the best football players in the sport.
"Defensively, it was Miami's best performance of the year [last week]. This is a solid Pitt football team and Miami held them to seven points. They were completely overwhelming the offensive line the whole game.
"You also look at how Miami has dealt with injuries. You had seven starters who missed time throughout the regular season. Yes they lost a couple games they shouldn't have, but that has been used in other teams' favor, will it be used in Miami's favor?"
Moreover, McElroy still believes that both teams are some of the best in the country, regardless of who gets in or not.
"I think Notre Dame is the real deal. I also think Miami is the real deal," McElroy said. "You catch either one of those two teams on the wrong day, good luck. Those two teams are really good and really talented. There are a lot of guys that will be playing in the pros on both those teams. They can beat you running it or throwing it. They have quarterbacks that can elevate. There is a lot to like about those two teams."
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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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.