Where Does No. 3 Miami Sit on ESPN's College Football Playoff Projections
In this story:
The Miami Hurricanes are working on bring the standard back, but it starts with getting the "rat poison" out of the way.
Many would like to claim that the "U" is back but most know that inside the building and around South Florida knows that the only way the Canes would be back is lifting No. 6. Until then, projections from ESPN list the Hurricanes as one of the top teams in the country that should make the Playoff and has the best odds to do so.
WHAT ESPN HAD TO SAY:
Why they could be here: The Canes had a bye week to prepare for their trip to Florida State, but entered this week ranked No. 4 in ESPN's Strength of Record metric -- a statistic that has historically aligned with the selection committee's top four teams. With Notre Dame's resounding win at Arkansas, the Canes' season-opening win against the Irish continues to shine. Miami's wins against South Florida and Florida -- both of which had bye weeks -- continue to collectively help separate the Canes.
Why they could be lower: The Canes have won all four games at home -- at a point in the season when other contenders have had to win tough games on the road. Ohio State and Oregon have won tough conference road games.
Need to know: Saturday's game against FSU could be Miami's last game during the regular season against a ranked opponent. Right now, Miami is on track for a top four seed, which means a first-round bye. If the Canes lose to FSU -- and/or if they finish as the ACC runner-up -- this could impact their seeding because so many SEC teams have loaded schedules in the back half of the season.
Toughest remaining game: Saturday at Florida State. ESPN's FPI gave the Canes a 63.6% chance to win. The Canes are projected to win each of their remaining games and have the best chance in the conference (67.9%) to reach the ACC title game.
AP Top 25 Poll
(Ranking, team, first-place votes, record, points received)
1. Ohio State (46), 4-0, 1626
2. Oregon (16), 5-0, 1589
3. Miami (FL) (4), 4-0, 1529
4. Ole Miss, 5-0, 1354
5. Oklahoma, 4-0, 1313
6. Texas A&M 4-0, 1308
7. Penn State, 3-1, 1179
8. Indiana, 5-0, 1156
9. Texas, 3-1, 1071
10. Alabama, 3-1, 1057
11. Texas Tech, 4-0, 967
12. Georgia, 3-1, 965
13. LSU, 4-1, 838
14. Iowa State, 5-0, 830
15. Tennessee, 4-1, 697
16. Vanderbilt, 5-0, 640
17. Georgia Tech, 5-0, 549
18. Florida State, 3-1, 535
19. Missouri, 5-0, 528
20. Michigan, 3-1, 422
21. Notre Dame, 2-2, 333
22. Illinois, 4-1, 271
23. BYU, 4-0, 191
24. Virginia, 4-1, 125
25. Arizona State, 4-1, 107
Read More Miami Hurricanes News:
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.
Follow all social media platforms to stay up to date with everything Miami Hurricanes-related: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and BlueSky.
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.
Follow Justice_News5