Kirk Herbstreit and College GameDay Colleague Make Bold Case for Notre Dame to Reach CFP Regardless of Miami Result

Notre Dame is No. 4 in the AP poll but a staggering No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings. Yet somehow, the 7-1 Fighting Irish are touchdown favorites against undefeated No. 1 Miami. The committee clearly isn’t buying Notre Dame’s résumé, but ESPN’s Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit aren’t backing down. Both believe the Irish deserve a playoff spot, even if they lose to the 8-0 Hurricanes.

With Miami missing star receiver Malachi Toney, Saturday’s showdown in South Bend has become a massive test of the committee’s judgment.

Notre Dame has been here before. Last year, the Fighting Irish lost 27-24 at Miami in the opener, lost to Texas A&M, and finished 10-2. They had been ahead of Miami in the committee’s rankings for five straight weeks, but the Hurricanes passed them in the last one on the head-to-head, and Notre Dame was the first team out. The Fighting Irish then skipped their bowl game against BYU. A win this time would flip all of it. It would give Notre Dame the signature win the committee says it lacks, and it would come against the team that knocked it out.

“Sort of puts Notre Dame right in the crosshairs of this game, always important, vitally important against Miami, who’s without Malachi Toney,” Davis said during an episode of ESPN’s College GameDay, according to an X post by Awful Announcing. “I think they’re too low. I think you want the committee to exercise some football judgment. I understand their resume’s not great yet, but you watch them play; are there 10 teams better than them?”

The College GameDay crew is making a compelling argument that Notre Dame's playoff destiny may already be written. Subscribe to stay ahead of the CFP selection conversation.

Miami is undefeated at No. 1, while Notre Dame sits seven spots lower with the committee than in the AP poll. He wants the committee to use some football judgment, as Davis believes Notre Dame is one of the best teams in the country.

The numbers back that up, as Notre Dame leads the nation in total defense, giving up 236.3 yards a game and allowing 13.4 points. ESPN’s FPI has the Fighting Irish at No. 1, but they are 13th in strength of record. Their strength of schedule is the problem, ranking 55th nationally. Committee chair Hunter Yurachek said the Fighting Irish have no signature win, and the committee put three two-loss teams (Alabama, Texas, and Ole Miss) ahead of them.

“And I think that’s what they have to hang their hat on,” Herbstreit said during the same episode of ESPN’s College GameDay. “I think that’s what they were left out last year. They said, ‘Leave no doubt.’ And if they win the game, they’re taken care of. They’re going to be fine. But if they lose the game, I think the metrics and any strength of record, strength of schedule, any of that’s going to hurt them.”

Notre Dame’s only loss is 28-24 at BYU on October 17, the only ranked team it has faced. It beat Wisconsin 41-13, Rice, Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina 37-26, Stanford 58-7, and Navy 35-13. A loss on Saturday would make the Fighting Irish 0-2 against ranked teams, with Boston College, SMU, and Syracuse left. Herbstreit argues that the ranking should come from “just football evaluation, not the metrics,” he said, and not from analytics.

Miami has its own stakes. The Hurricanes were the 10-seed in last year’s playoff and ran to the national title game before losing to Indiana. They’re 6-0 in the ACC, and they close with Duke, Virginia Tech, and Boston College at home. Toney, who has 1,027 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns, had surgery on his ankle this week. Miami is an underdog for the first time this season.

“At home [Notre Dame], they’re favored,” Herbstreit said. “They probably have a good chance of winning, especially with Malachi Toney down. I’m just saying if it’s a competitive game and they lose, the committee is just going to have to eventually just say they’re one of the best teams.”

The next CFP rankings come Tuesday, November 10. A top-12 finish gets Notre Dame an automatic bid under its deal with the playoff.

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