Nothing has been more hotly debated in CFP rankings than where the committee has placed Notre Dame and Miami. The chair, Hunter Yurachek, explained why they ranked the Irish (9) over the Hurricanes (12), despite the latter having won the head-to-head matchup. His rationale found support from ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway. However, Miami legend Michael Irvin isn’t letting his alma mater go overlooked. 

“Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway were just talking, and they were talking about Miami moving up one spot and trying to do a comparative analysis of why Notre Dame should be ranked over Miami, even though Miami beat Notre Dame in the head-to-head matchup.” Michael Irvin was swallowed in rage when he saw Herbstreit and Galloway discussing the rankings. “I am shocked at Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway. Are you going to tell me these two Ohio State jokers is not letting their personal bias get in the way?

Kirk Herbstreit was trying to discount the head-to-head matchup. He said, ‘At what point do head-to-head matchups stop counting?’ F—— never. They never stop counting. You don’t think Ohio State has cheated Miami out of enough championships? You did it when y’all cheated after we whooped your a–, and now you want to try to get on this panel and cheat again.”

The 3x Super Bowl champion specifically called out Herbstreit for attempting to diminish the importance of the head-to-head matchup. In a thrilling season opener on August 31st, the Hurricanes beat the Fighting Irish 27-24. Michael Irvin’s frustration has merit when you consider that head-to-head victories have traditionally served as the primary tiebreaker in college football rankings. Miami beat Notre Dame on a neutral field in primetime. However, CFP selection committee chair Hunter Yurachek explained his stance.  

He has repeatedly emphasized that Notre Dame possesses “better losses” than Miami. Further adding that the Hurricanes dropped games to Louisville at home and at SMU. Both teams were unranked at the time of those defeats. Yurachek also called Notre Dame “a complete team” that “deserves to be ranked where they are.” Herbstreit echoed this sentiment. “At what point does a head-to-head not carry the weight based on the other games that a team loses?”​

Notre Dame and Miami are each 9-2 this season. However, Notre Dame’s two losses were its first two games of the season. Meanwhile, both of the Hurricanes’ losses have come in conference play. Miami needs an impressive win over No. 22 Pittsburgh this Saturday to strengthen its case. And Notre Dame faces Stanford in what should be a comfortable victory. Moreover, Miami has beaten Stanford easily, so if Notre Dame struggles at all, it will affect the eye test. 

The real issue isn’t whether Herbstreit and Galloway are biased. It is that the committee has established inconsistent criteria that allow subjective interpretations to override objective results. Miami controls its destiny by winning out and capturing the ACC title. But Irvin’s point about the sanctity of head-to-head matchups deserves consideration in a playoff system that’s supposed to reward on-field performance.​

A coach who’s seen both teams weighs in

Sometimes validation comes from unexpected places. This week, it arrived courtesy of Frank Reich, Stanford’s interim head coach, who has faced both playoff contenders this season. Reich set the record straight when discussing Notre Dame ahead of their Week 14 matchup. He called the Fighting Irish “the best team we’ve played all year” after breaking down their film. 

“When I put the tape on yesterday, I was like, Boom. I mean, this is a real deal,” Reich said during his weekly press conference. “They’re really well coached. You can just see it jump off the tape. They’re very well-coached; they’re high-level. There’s really no weakness for me, mostly looking at their defense right now.”

Reich went even further in his praise, pointing specifically to Notre Dame’s defense as something that stood out immediately. He called the matchup the measuring stick for his team, since he already hailed the Fighting Irish as one of the better teams in the country. What makes this assessment particularly noteworthy is that Reich’s Stanford squad already faced Miami back on October 25th. The Hurricanes rolled to a 42-7 victory. So when Reich says Notre Dame looks like the best team Stanford has played, he’s saying the Fighting Irish appear better than the Hurricanes, at least on tape.​​