Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Hurricanes
The first College Playoff Rankings come out today and UM is in the discussion.
CORAL GABLES — Since the College Football Playoff was established and its first rankings released in the fall of 2014, there has been plenty of impassioned debate across the country about how those rankings are calculated, where teams appear, why the committee has ranked teams above others and whether the playoff should be expanded.
And for the most part, Hurricanes fans generally haven’t had to worry about any of it — at least, not from a Miami perspective.
In each of the past three seasons, the Hurricanes have struggled in October, and although they weren’t necessarily eliminated in the race for the Coastal Division championship or the ACC title each of those years, there was little need to worry about playoff rankings. This year is different. With the first CFB rankings of the season set to be released today at 7 p.m. (live on ESPN), the Hurricanes are one of four unbeaten Power-5 teams in college football. Miami has won 12 in a row dating back to last season, and while they likely won’t be in one of those coveted top four slots, the Hurricanes could very well find themselves in the top 10 with big games against Virginia Tech and Notre Dame looming.
The Hurricanes are in the national conversation, so Miami fans should start paying attention to the CFP rankings. Here’s a primer to get you ready for Tuesday and beyond.
How are the rankings calculated?
Every week now through Dec. 3 — Selection Day — a 13-member committee will meet and rank the top 25 college football teams, the top four at the end being slotted into two semifinal games.
The committee, which includes former coaches, players, athletic directors and media members, will follow an established selection process that will take into account wins and losses, conference championship wins, strength-of-schedule, headto-head competition, outcomes against common opponents and even injuries that could affect a team’s postseason performance. Polls, like the AP Top 25, may be considered by the committee as long as they’re open and transparent, but preseason rankings don’t count.
And to account for any potential biases, committee members associated with any team during the selection process must recuse themselves from any deliberation involving that team.
Why do the CFP rankings matter?
Since replacing the Bowl Championship Series in 2013, the College Football Playoff is how a national champion is determined. That’s pretty straight forward.
But the rankings matter beyond just determining the four teams in the playoff semifinals. The committee’s rankings will also determine which teams get to play in college football’s major New Year’s Bowls.
This national semifinals rotate yearly with the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena set to host this season’s semis on Jan. 1. The winners of those games will advance to the national championship in Atlanta on Jan. 8.
Where is Miami projected to land in today’s rankings?
Although the committee won’t necessarily take the AP Top 25 or Amway Coaches polls into consideration, those might offer a general idea of what to expect. The Hurricanes (7-0) likely won’t be in any of the top four spots, but they should be in the top 10 because of their record so far this season.
Several of ESPN’s college football reporters have projected the top four spots to go to Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame and Clemson, with one — Edward Aschoff — giving his No. 4 spot not to the Tigers, but Oklahoma. The Washington Post projects Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame to take the top four spots, with Miami coming in at No. 6. And Yahoo gave its top four spots to Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Notre Dame while projecting Miami at No. 7.
Can the Hurricanes work their way into the playoff?
If the Hurricanes appear in the top 10, it’s not unreasonable they could work their way into one of the top four spots — as long as they keep winning, likely all the way through the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game on Dec. 2.
Miami will take on a strong Virginia Tech team on Saturday. A win there, combined with a Georgia Tech win over Virginia early in the day, will clinch the Coastal Division crown and send Miami to the conference championship. But if the Hurricanes want to be a national championship contender, they’ll need to keep winning beyond Saturday. They’ll have a chance at another good resume-builder on Nov. 11 against Notre Dame.
If they get past the next two weeks unscathed, the Hurricanes will have to dispatch Virginia and Pittsburgh to close out the regular season. That resume may not be enough to overtake some of the teams ahead of them, so the Hurricanes will likely also have to beat Clemson in the ACC Championship game, especially since the committee favors conference champions.