CFP Rankings Surprise: Miami Edges SMU with Stronger Performance Despite Tight Season Race
Miami dropped five spots to ninth in the second 2024 College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday but remained the top ACC team and within the four highest seeds. The CFP committee, led by chairman Warde Manuel, was impressed by Miami’s offensive dominance throughout the season.
Manuel noted that the committee evaluates each week independently. While SMU was on a bye, Miami suffered a close 28-23 loss at Georgia Tech. Miami still leads the nation with an average of 45 points and 544.8 yards per game.
According to the ESPN Football Power Index, Miami has the 39th toughest schedule and the 54th most challenging remaining schedule nationally. SMU’s schedule ranks 81st in difficulty, with the 34th toughest remaining strength of schedule. In the CFP, the top four conference champions will earn byes.
Both Miami and SMU control their paths to the ACC Championship. Miami can secure a spot by defeating Wake Forest and Syracuse in their last two games. SMU faces Boston College, Virginia, and California, needing two wins to advance based on tiebreakers. Clemson would need another Miami loss to contend for an ACC Championship berth. A two-loss Miami team would have difficulty earning a CFP spot unless their second loss was to SMU in the ACC title game.
Louisville, ranked 19th, stands as the biggest win for both teams; neither Miami nor SMU plays Clemson this season. Miami won a high-scoring 52-45 game at Louisville on October 19, while SMU defeated Louisville 34-27 on October 5. The CFP committee is expected to weigh common opponents heavily in its evaluations.
If the season unfolds as anticipated, Miami and SMU will compete directly for a CFP spot in Charlotte on December 7. The CFP committee may then face the decision of whether to include a second team from the ACC.
