Overview
- In the penultimate rankings, Notre Dame sits No. 10 and Miami No. 12 despite the Hurricanes’ 27–24 Week 1 win, with Miami’s two losses to unranked Louisville and SMU weighing on its resume.
- Miami coach Mario Cristobal argued the head-to-head should carry decisive weight, noting both teams are 10–2 and shared four common opponents that each beat comfortably.
- ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit cautioned that a convincing Texas Tech win over BYU could position Miami to pass Notre Dame, framing head-to-head as a potential tiebreaker if the gap narrows.
- Oddsmakers told the Chicago Sun-Times a neutral-field rematch would slightly favor Notre Dame, posting hypothetical lines between Irish -1.5 and -3.
- As critics question opaque criteria such as “eye test” and “good losses,” Notre Dame leaders pushed a 16-team expansion and analysts floated blended computer models to reduce human bias.