Mario Cristobal emphatic that Miami is a College Football Playoff team after win over Pittsburgh
No. 12 Miami defeated No. 22 Pitt 38-7 during Week 14, improving to 10-2 on the season and strengthening the ‘Canes College Football Playoff argument. Mario Cristobal made a simple, yet effective case for his program to make the field after the win.
“This is a College Football Playoff team,” Cristobal said on the field after the game. “I think we’ve all seen it. … Complete dominance. A team that had great players in all phases, and we’re playing great football in all phases.
“The best part about football? You get to settle it on the field where head-to-head is always the number one critirea regarding anything athletics and football.”
His comments come amid a tight race in the field of 12, and the controversial decision for the committee to rank Notre Dame ahead of the Hurricanes. His comments appear to be a direct message to the selection committee to honor Miami’s head-to-head win over the Fighting Irish to begin the season.
Currently, Notre Dame is ranked No. 9 and Miami is No. 12 in the post-Week 13 College Football Playoff Rankings. Both teams have two losses, but under different circumstances.
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Notre Dame lost its first two games of the season against both Miami and Texas A&M — two teams that are currently in contention to make the CFP. The Irish have since won their last nine games and have a chance to wrap up a 10-game win streak during Week 14 with a win vs. 4-7 Stanford.
For Miami, the ‘Canes began the season 5-0 before finishing the back-half of their schedule 5-2. Those pair of losses could be damning for Miami, as they came to an unranked Louisville team at home and in overtime vs. SMU on the road over a three-week span. They’ve also won four-straight games, all of which have been won by multiple scores.
For now, it appears that the College Football Playoff selection committee is choosing to honor the complete body of work of Notre Dame over the head-to-head loss to Miami on Aug. 31. With Miami unlikely to make the ACC title game, both teams will likely be 10-2 going into the final CFP rankings barring a Notre Dame upset.