Sure, Miami beat Notre Dame head-to-head in September, but why did it take until this week (when both teams were off) for Miami to jump Notre Dame in the rankings?<\/p>\n
![\"Notre](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/jeremiyah-love-4-notre-dame-116047911.jpg\")
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love Getty Images<\/p>\n
The only logical conclusion is that the committee didn\u2019t want to completely shut out the ACC. So, when Duke beat Virginia in the ACC Championship game and the Sun Belt (James Madison) stole the ACC\u2019s automatic bid, the committee backtracked to get Miami in over Notre Dame \u2013 and Notre Dame would\u2019ve been in over Miami had Virginia held on to beat Duke.<\/p>\n
The college football world was going to be outraged no matter which of the three bubble teams \u2013 Alabama, Notre Dame and Miami \u2013 was left out of the at-large field.<\/p>\n
No one said it better than Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny rankings or show prior to this last one is an absolute joke and a waste of time,\u201d he told Yahoo Sports.<\/p>\n
Here are other reactions to the Irish being the odd team out, including the sentiment that the Irish need to join a conference to avoid this happening in the future.<\/p>\n
Former Notre Dame quarterback and Fox analyst Brady Quinn<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cThere wasn\u2019t any logic waiting to move UM ahead of ND if Conf championship game outcomes are inconsequential. If Head to head was a factor, you had it all year. This isn\u2019t a serious committee. It\u2019s a made for TV event. Expand and get rid of the committee. BCS was a better formula. For ND, you now know 11-1 is the worst you can do to secure a spot in this current playoff format.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Chase Daniel<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cMiami should\u2019ve been in over a 3 loss Alabama team \u2026. No question.\u201d<\/p>\n Former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky:\u00a0\u201cNotre Dame should have been in over Alabama\u201d<\/p>\n CBS Sports national college football writer Shehan Jeyarajas<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cThe committee flipping Notre Dame and Miami without anything changing between those two teams last week is one of the greatest shams in the history of the playoff. What a total joke. I think that Miami should have been over Notre Dame, but then they should have been last week.\u201d<\/p>\n NBC Sports college football insider Nicole Auerbach<\/a>: \u201cSo, BYU was penalized for getting blown out in its conference championship game (dropped one spot). Which allowed Miami to move up and get compared directly to Notre Dame. But Alabama was not penalized for getting blown out in its conference championship game.\u201d<\/p>\n \tThe opening games of the 2025 College Football Playoff: <\/p>\n Round 1<\/p>\n No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Oklahoma on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET<\/p>\n No. 10 Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M on Dec. 20 at 12 p.m. ET<\/p>\n No. 11 Tulane at No 6 Ole Miss on Dec. 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n No. 12 James Madison at No. 5 Oregon on Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n Quarterfinals<\/p>\n No. 10 Miami\/No. 7 Texas A&M vs No. 2 Ohio State at Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET<\/p>\n No. 12 James Madison\/No. 5 Oregon vs No. 4 Texas Tech on Jan. 1 at 12 p.m. ET<\/p>\n No. 9 Alabama\/No. 8 Oklahoma vs No. 1 Indiana on Jan. 1 at 4 p.m. ET<\/p>\n No. 11 Tulane\/No. 6 Ole Miss vs No. 3 Georgia on Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET<\/p>\n College Football Report<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cNotre Dame gets left out of the CFP\u2026 The Irish won 10 straight, were ranked ahead of Miami for weeks, and their only losses were Week 1 to No. 10 Miami and Week 2 to No. 7 Texas A&M by a combined four points. Ridiculous decision. One of the best teams in the country.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Former NFL quarterback Matt Flynn:\u00a0\u201cYESSSSSSSSS!!!!! GREAT JOB BY THE COMMITTEE TO KEEP NOTRE DAME OUT. JOIN A CONFERENCE.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Former NFL quarterback and former ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III: \u201cThe way the College Football season shaped up, the CFP Committee had an opportunity to do the most right thing with the smallest backlash. Alabama and BYU getting blown out in their conference championship games opened the door to put both Notre Dame and Miami in. Instead they dropped the ball and punished BYU for losing, didn\u2019t punish Alabama for losing and then flipped Notre Dame and Miami despite neither of them playing a game. None of it makes sense. They did the thing that would give them the most backlash just to have 5 SEC teams in the playoff. That makes everyone question the integrity of the process and rightfully so.\u201d<\/p>\n Skip Bayless<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cIt is ridiculous that JMU and Tulane are in the College Football Playoffs \u2026 and Notre Dame and Texas and Vanderbilt are not. This shouldn\u2019t be about \u2018everybody gets a chance.\u2019 This should be about THE BEST 12 TEAMS IN AMERICA. Come on.\u201c<\/a><\/p>\n ESPN reporter Holly Rowe<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cBYU Only 2 losses to top 4 seed Deserved more.\u00a0Notre Dame, Texas\u2026not in? So annoyed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Former NFL quarterback and CBS Sports analyst Danny Kanell<\/a>: \u201cMiami deserved to be in\u2026.glad they get the chance. But now Notre Dame got screwed. They should have been in over Alabama.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n