Miami’s road to a New Year’s Six bowl to take shape with Tuesday’s first CFP rankings
The Miami Hurricanes are relevant again in the College Football Playoff rankings.
OK, so they’re not the center of attention for sure, but for the first time since 2017 they will be included among the top 25 when the first of five 2020 College Football Playoff weekly rankings are released at 7 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN, drawing the eyes of college football fans across the nation.
Alabama (7-0), Notre Dame (8-0), Ohio State (4-0) and Clemson (7-1) are strong possibilities for the top four spots (not necessarily in that order) that ultimately on Dec. 20 will determine the semifinal playoff games at the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl and Allstate Sugar Bowl. The next eight teams in that final ranking, which UM (7-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) is hoping will include the Canes, would likely fill slots for the Capital One Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
The CFP National Championship is Monday, Jan. 11, at Hard Rock Stadium.
Canes coach Manny Diaz, now isolating after testing positive for COVID-19, said publicly last week on Hurricane Hotline that he believes UM will go to a New Year’s Six bowl should it win its last three games — beginning Dec. 5 at Wake Forest and continuing Dec. 12 at home against North Carolina and ending at home with Georgia Tech on Dec. 19. The Georgia Tech at UM regular-season finale will only be played if the Canes don’t qualify for the ACC Championship Game that night or if the outcome of the game would affect who plays for the ACC title.
But with the coronavirus pandemic in full force and 18 games postponed or canceled this past weekend, including Miami’s originally scheduled game with Georgia Tech, it’s anybody’s guess how this strange season will play out.
Miami CFP history
The last and only time the Hurricanes — now ranked 10th in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and No. 9 in the Amway Coaches Poll — were included in the CFP rankings was in 2017, when UM started the season 10-0 before losing its final three games.
That year the Canes, with a 7-0 record, started as No. 10 and rose to No. 7 (8-0), No. 3 (9-0) and No. 2 (10-0) before falling to No. 10 (10-2) in the final CFP rankings. They went on to lose to Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl for their final 10-3 record.
The CFP rankings began in 2014. There are 13 members of the selection committee whose ultimate job is to ensure the top four teams in their final ranking are the best teams in the nation. Of course how they get to their decisions, based on various factors, will be dissected and debated endlessly.
College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock said in a release on Sunday that “2020 has changed so much for so many, including the CFP.’’
“Some of our approaches will be the same as always, and others will reflect the unique nature of this year. We are confident that the committee will be able to select the best four teams and rank the rest of the 25 as always.’’
Ranking protocol
The CFP selection committee’s “protocol for ranking the teams,’’ according to Sunday’s release, has not changed. “The selection committee will continue to watch games, assess every team, and the use the available data. A lot of football has been played and remains to be played, even with mostly conference-only schedules. The selection committee will continue to use factors such as wins against top 25 teams, wins against teams with winning records, and their expertise to come together and select the best four teams week by week.’’
The committee said it ranks teams, “not conferences,’’ and “the more games played, the more chances a team has to prove itself to the committee. If the committee feels the 7-1 team has more quality wins despite one loss, it will factor that into its rankings. If it feels the 3-0 team’s undefeated start is more impressive, it will factor that into its rankings.”
When teams are comparable, the selection committee is directed to consider conference championships won, strength of schedule, possible head-to-head competition and outcomes of common opponents.
Polls can be used to help determine rankings, but “committee members will be required to discredit polls where initial rankings are established before competition has occurred.’’ One such poll, for example, would be the AP Top 25.
Keep in mind that the committee also will handle player-availability for specific games “the same way we have done in the past.’’
“If a key player misses a game, the committee will know and consider whether the absence affects the on-field performance.’’ A prime example is when projected 2021 top NFL Draft pick Trevor Lawrence, quarterback for No. 4 Clemson, missed the game in which the Tigers lost to Notre Dame.
The Hurricanes, now in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak, had six players missing for the Oct. 24 Virginia game, 11 players unavailable for the Nov. 6 game at North Carolina State and 13 players unavailable for their last game Nov. 14 at Virginia Tech. The Canes, on a four-game winning streak, won all three.
Selection committee
Here are the 13 CFP selection committee members: Gary Barta (chairman), Iowa athletic director; Paola Bolvin, Arizona State professor; Tom Burman, Wyoming athletic director; Joe Castiglione, Oklahoma athletic director; Rick George, Colorado athletic director; Ken Hatfield, former FBS head coach; Ken Hatfield, former FBS head coach; Ronnie Lott, former Southern Cal All-American; Terry Mohajir, Arkansas State athletic director; Ray Odierno, former U.S. Army Chief of Staff; R.C. Slocum, former Texas A&M coach; Todd Stansbury, Georgia Tech athletic director; Scott Stricklin, Florida athletic director; and John Urschel, former Penn State All-American.
According to collegefootballplayoff.com, “committee members associated with any team under consideration during the selection process will be required to recuse themselves from any deliberations associated with that team.”
