In the Week 14 CFP rankings, Notre Dame is No. 9. Miami is No. 12. Same 9-2 record, head-to-head to Miami, three spots of daylight between them.
If you are a Miami fan staring at this week's College Football Playoff rankings, it is hard not to feel like USC just dodged a bullet by drifting away from Notre Dame. Miami did the thing everyone says you are supposed to do. The Hurricanes scheduled a heavyweight non-conference opponent in Notre Dame, beat the Irish 27-24 in the season opener and built the kind of statement win that usually anchors a playoff resume.