Does Notre Dame have to beat Miami to make playoff? Depends who you ask

The College Football Playoff committee respects Miami. It's skeptical of Notre Dame (and Ohio State).

That's what the committee's initial rankings should tell you.

Undefeated Miami debuted at No. 1, while the one-loss Irish checked in at No. 11.

Toppmeyer: SEC coaches can put away the pacifiers. CFP committee loves them

Hayes: Indiana football is living off last year. CFP committee just made it official

Interestingly, the teams have a similar strength of schedule, and Notre Dame's lone loss against top-10 Brigham Young came down to the final play. So, rankings aside, how much really separates Notre Dame and Miami?

The betting line on this game shifted after news broke midweek that Miami's star receiver Malachi Toney is expected to be out for several weeks after injuring his ankle. Notre Dame is now a 7½-point favorite in a prime-time home game.

On this edition of “College Football Unfiltered,” a USA TODAY Sports podcast presented by Sports Seriously, host Blake Toppmeyer and his colleagues Matt Hayes and John Brice debate whether this is a must-win game for Notre Dame. Would a loss to the nation's No. 1 team be enough to knock the Irish out of a 12-team bracket?

Also on this episode, Kentucky's first-year coach Will Stein joins for an interview to discuss his program's Big Blue uprising. The Wildcats are 7-1 and No. 6 in the CFP rankings entering a rivalry game against Tennessee.

"Kentucky has all of the resources needed to go compete at the highest level," Stein said during his interview with "College Football Unfiltered," when asked about Kentucky's staying power.

Stein will gain even more believers if Kentucky vanquishes the rival Vols, who've tormented the Wildcats for so long.

On the subject of Notre Dame ...

Is this a must-win game for Notre Dame and its playoff hopes?

Brice: It's must-win if the Irish want control of their destiny. At 10-2, I don't know where that leaves them. If their best wins are Wisconsin and SMU, then it's another Selection Sunday where they'd have to sweat it out. To get off the bubble, Notre Dame must beat Miami.

Hayes: If they lose, I don't know how you could put them in that playoff, honestly. I don't care if SMU is 8-2 when they play the Mustangs later in November. So what? You look at Notre Dame's schedule, they're not in at 10-2. This is a must-win for the Irish. I think they'll play really well in this game. And, the biggest bonus: They don't have to try to stop Toney, who joins Jeremiah Smith as two of the best players in college football, regardless of position.

Toppmeyer: What do we mean when we say 'must-win' game? Do we mean that if they lose, they're almost certainly not making the playoff? If that's the case, then I don't think this is must-win for Notre Dame.

The Irish could still have a case at 10-2, if they lose a close one against Miami. Think about this: If Miami wins, there's a real possibility it could go 13-0 and be the No. 1 seed in the playoff. In that scenario, Notre Dame's only losses would be to the No. 1 seed and to Brigham Young on the road, and the Cougars remain in the hunt for the Big 12 title.

If Notre Dame's only losses are to the ACC champion and the Big 12 champion and both of those games were super close, is the committee going to reject Notre Dame? I don't buy it. Notre Dame can remove doubt with a victory. If it loses, it needs to pull for Miami and BYU to keep winning.

Where to listen to College Football Unfiltered

Be sure to check out USA TODAY Sports' "College Football Unfiltered" podcast, hosted by columnist Blake Toppmeyer. You can stream episodes on YouTube or download via Apple podcasts, Spotify or iHeart.Cohosts Matt Hayes, Paul Myerberg and John Brice cover college football for USA TODAY Sports.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Does Notre Dame have to beat Miami to make playoff? Depends who you ask