Experts debate Miami vs. Notre Dame in College Football Playoff rankings

Miami Hurricanes against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

As the 2025 college football regular season winds down, the CFP Selection Committee is gearing up for one burning debate this time around: Notre Dame vs. Miami. Both programs enter Week 14 with two losses but vastly different resumes. Meanwhile, they already met head to head, but all the way back in August.

Notre Dame is 9-2 with just two losses to Miami and Texas A&M back in the first two weeks of the season. Those are two top-15 programs this season, and since, the Irish have rolled off nine straight fairly dominant victories, including wins at Pittsburgh and at home over USC, who were each ranked at the time.

On the other hand, Miami has the win at home over Notre Dame from three months ago to hang onto as their crowning achievement, and of course, 'Canes fans believe that victory plus their mirrored record with the Irish ought to give them the upper hand in the official College Football Playoff rankings. Alas, losses to Louisville and SMU have drowned their position and Miami came in at No. 13 in this past week's update while Notre Dame was all the way up at No. 9.

Pundits comment on Miami vs. Notre Dame

Since that updated ranking dropped, and the Miami and Notre Dame programs each cruised to their ninth wins of season this weekend, pundits all over college football have been lobbying one way or another. Let's first hear from the College Football Playoff chairman Hunter Yurachek, the athletic director from Arkansas, who emphasized Miami's weak losses compared to Notre Dame's as the differentiator.

“I think when you look at Notre Dame and Miami, we really compare the losses of those two teams.”

NOTRE DAME LOST TO MIAMI. pic.twitter.com/St8C5R6Sn4

— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) November 19, 2025

"I think when you look at Notre Dame and Miami, we really compare the losses of those two teams," he told Rece Davis after the rankings release last Tuesday. "Miami has lost to two unranked teams; Notre Dame has lost to two teams that are ranked in our top 13. And so, we really haven't compared those two teams, they haven't been in similar, comparative pools to date. But Miami is creeping up into that range where they will be compared to Notre Dame if something happens above them."

Joey Galloway agreed with Yurachek and added his own reasoning backing up the committee on ESPN that night. "I hear you Florida State, you should be above Alabama," he joked in reference to Miami fan' emphasis on the head-to-head win over ND. "Notre Dame has looked like a better football team than Miami since that loss, and if you're going eye test, they look better."

Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey (8) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Paul Finebaum actually took up for the ACC side this past Sunday and staunchly supported the idea that the head-to-head result carries more weight between two clubs with the same record: "I wish the Selection Committee would actually consider that Miami and Notre Dame once met on the field, like on the final Sunday night in August," he pointed out. "But they have seemingly forgotten that."

Heather Dinich followed up Finebaum by laying out what Miami actually must do to get back in the hunt: "The Selection Committee has been looking for consistency from the 'Canes and this is theird third straight win they have won by more than 17 points," she said of Miami's win over Virginia Tech. "This is something the Selection Committee will at least consider this week."

"College football has changed. Head-to-head matters... it's not everything, it's A thing. Timing matters more."@colincowherd weighs in on Notre Dame being ranked above Miami in the latest CFP rankings pic.twitter.com/lGgWd5moFs

— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) November 19, 2025

Over on FS1, Colin Cowherd issued little sympathy to Miami over their slotting behind Notre Dame: “Canes fan, all nine of you, college football has changed," he lectured. "Head-to-head matters. It’s not everything, it’s a thing. Miami has two losses to unranked teams, bad teams. And timing matters. When did you lose? Notre Dame has not lost since Sept. 13. And when they lost, they lost to good teams, and they were close, go-either-way games."

Clay Travis of Outkick was another on took Paul Finebaum's side and tweeted out his confusion at the Miami-Notre Dame disparity: "What has Notre Dame done to be ranked four spots ahead of Miami, who has the same record and beat them head to head?" he asked. "Crazy to me."

Nonetheless, Travis and Paul Finebaum are clearly in the minority, as both the College Football Playoff committee and the Associated Press seem to agree that, right now, Notre Dame is the superior unit to the Hurricanes.

All but 4 voters have Notre Dame comfortably ahead of Miami.

Even the Miami affiliate has Notre Dame ahead of Miami. https://t.co/nUoRmM92iU

— Juicy J (@Juicy_J_713) November 24, 2025