When the final College football Playoff rankings were released on Sunday, much of the discussion centered around the decision to leave Notre Dame out of the 12-team postseason field.
The Fighting Irish were the first team out, getting a No. 11 ranking behind No. 10 Miami and No. 9 Alabama.
In the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings released last Tuesday, Notre Dame held No. 10 position, two spots ahead of No. 12 Miami. Neither team played on conference championship weekend, but the 10-2 Hurricanes still jumped the 10-2 Fighting Irish in the final rankings.
Notre Dame has already declined its bowl game invitation following its CFP snub.
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Miami head coach Mario Cristobal understands what this kind of snub feels like. Last year, his 10-2 Hurricanes were one of the first teams left out of the 12-team CFP field.
Cristobal sent a clear message to Notre Dame as the program navigates this difficult time.
“Notre Dame is a great football team,” Cristobal said, via ESPN. “Processes like this … all processes need to be assessed again and remedied wherever they can, but I think everybody’s working at it. Last year we were excluded and we weren’t very happy. It’s a tough business, man. It’s a really, really tough business. I respect everybody and everyone involved in it.”
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The College Football Playoff selection committee cited Miami’s head-to-head win over Notre Dame as the deciding factor in its final decision.
“It’s a hard job,” Cristobal added. “It’s a tough industry, right? I mean, where else are so many variables so influential in the outcome of a game that could send teams in a death spiral or propel others to new heights? And you have human error, and you have officiating, and you have injuries and all that stuff. There’s so much that goes into the game of football that when you also add a committee to make decisions, it’s hard on everybody.”
Miami will kickoff its College Football Playoff campaign with a matchup against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field on Dec. 20.