Rece Davis Reveals Major Fanbase That Should Be 'Upset' With College Football Playoff Rankings
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The Miami Hurricanes appeared poised to qualify for the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history this season. After starting the season with a 5-0 record, they were ranked No. 2 in the nation, leading to discussions about whether they were the best team in college football.
Since then, Miami has dropped two of its last three games. They first lost 24-21 to the now-No. 15 Louisville Cardinals at home. In response, they achieved a decisive victory against the Stanford Cardinal, winning 42-7 at home. However, they fell short this past weekend, losing 26-20 in overtime to the SMU Mustangs on the road.
Miami is ranked No. 18 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. Interestingly, they are ranked eight spots lower than the two-loss Notre Dame Fighting Irish team that Miami defeated 27-24 at the start of the season. This ranking discrepancy has led ESPN’s Rece Davis to suggest on the “College GameDay Podcast” that Miami fans have a reason to be upset.
“Miami fans are upset, and I understand it,” Davis said. “People want one data point to be the be-all end-all. They beat Notre Dame. They got credit for that in the committee room, I’m sure. I’m sure it was brought up. Right now, Notre Dame is ranking eight spots ahead. So, what does that mean? That means at this point in time, they’re not evaluating those two teams as comparable.”
Davis mentioned that since Notre Dame has won six consecutive games after their losses to Miami and the now-No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies (41-40 in Week 3), the committee currently doesn’t see the two teams as comparable. This means that their head-to-head matchup is not a factor in the ranking process.
However, he believes that if Miami can win its final four games against the Syracuse Orange, NC State Wolfpack, Virginia Tech Hokies, and the No. 24 Pittsburgh Panthers, finishing the season at 10-2, the committee may have to consider that as a significant factor in their decision-making.
Miami may not control the conversation now, but Davis implied that a strong finish could make the Hurricanes impossible to ignore when the playoff picture tightens.
Related: Paul Finebaum Names Major College Football Program That Suffered an ‘Inexcusable’ Loss
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Nov 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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