Deluded Hurricane

Miami fans are spending their energy lobbying for the wrong thing. The obsession right now is staying ahead of Notre Dame because of the head-to-head win, but that’s not where the real battle is—and it’s not how the committee thinks. Yes, beating Notre Dame was Miami’s best moment of the season, and it absolutely belongs in the conversation. But head-to-head is one factor, not the entire résumé. This isn’t a two-team beauty contest for a single seed. It’s a process to select the best 12 teams, and at this point Notre Dame is clearly one of them.

The Irish are playing as well as anyone in the country. Every reasonable power rating—ours included—has Notre Dame top four right now, and we believe they would close as a favorite against anyone outside Ohio State. Miami’s fixation on ND comes off as desperate, narrow, and strategically misplaced.

If Miami wants to maximize its playoff case, the Hurricanes should be focused on the bubble teams: Alabama, Utah, Kansas State, Ole Miss, Oregon State—programs with similar records and comparable résumés. That’s where the separation really happens. And if Miami wants to pick a fight, the real target is the SEC cannibalism narrativesuggesting five or six SEC teams belong in the field. That’s where Miami can make a strong, rational argument.

The win over Notre Dame should be the centerpiece of Miami’s pitch—not evidence that the Hurricanes are “better” than ND today. It’s their best bargaining chip, not a reason to base the entire argument around beating a team the committee is almost certainly placing comfortably inside the field.