Kirk Herbstreit questions how much Miami's head-to-head win over Notre Dame matters

The Week 13 College Football Playoff rankings were revealed on Tuesday. One of the biggest takeaways saw No. 10 Notre Dame rank ahead of No. 13 Miami, which many ‘Canes fans took exception to.

The issue stems from the season opener when the Hurricanes beat the Irish 27-24 head-to-head. Heading into the final two weeks of the season, ESPN‘s Kirk Herbstreit questioned how much that matchup really means for Miami at this point in the season, noting that recent losses could be the difference maker in the committee’s eyes.

“Miami has that head to head, but then they lose to Louisville at home and they lose on the road at SMU,” Herbstreit explained. “At what point does a head to head not carry the weight based on the other games that a team loses? … I mean, at what point do you not hold on to Week 1 — a three-point victory when you’ve lost a couple games to teams you were favored over?”

Notre Dame would go on to lose its next game against Texas A&M. However, the Irish have rattled off eight consecutive wins since and are two wins away from likely cementing their spot in the CFP. Meanwhile, Miami started the year with a 5-0 record and have gone 3-2 ever since.

Herbstreit said he likes what he’s seen from Notre Dame since it’s 0-2 start to the regular season. He’s high on the Irish’s personnel, praising the Notre Dame’s offensive skill positions and calling them a good all-around team. At the same time, he can understand the argument Miami fans have made throughout the week.

“I’m sure Miami fans are saying, what is Notre Dame? I mean, I know they’ve won games, but who have they beaten? What have they done? I guess that Miami would make that case,” Herbstreit said.

Notre Dame has wins over ranked USC and Pitt teams — both of which came by more than one score. The win over Pitt came against a Panthers team that had won five in a row before running into the Irish.

For Miami, the Hurricanes have beaten three ranked teams this season including Notre Dame, South Florida and Florida State. Neither USF nor FSU are currently ranked.

More importantly, however, is who the Hurricanes have lost to. Both Louisville and SMU — the two blemishes on Miami’s record — are also unranked this week.

All that either team can do at this point in the season is continue to stack up wins. Miami has matchups on the road at Virginia Tech and Pitt to end its regular season, while Notre Dame will wrap their schedule up at home vs. Syracuse this weekend before traveling to Stanford during Week 14.