The second set of College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday night, and there was no bigger winner than the Miami Hurricanes.
Miami, which sat at No. 18 in the initial CFP rankings a week ago, jumped up to No. 15 in the latest poll and was tabbed as the highest ranked ACC team, putting the Hurricanes in the field if the season ended today.
The CFP committee chair, Mack Rhoades, addressed Miami's ranking on Tuesday night,
"The conversation with Miami has been about their consistency, especially on offense. They've been really, really good on defense. Obviously the head-to-head with Notre Dame comes up, so a lot of conversation about Notre Dame's seven straight [wins]. They're better defensively than what they were at the beginning of the year. All of those things played into [Miami's] jump. We have great respect for Miami, when you think about the eye test. They're really good on both sides of the ball, just need to be a little bit more consistent on offense."
Rece Davis and CFP Selection Committee Chair, Mack Rhoades, talk through a chaotic situation for the ACC and Miami's part in it. pic.twitter.com/aFaZ4JtUQK
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 12, 2025
Miami jumped ahead of Georgia Tech, Louisville, and Virginia in the latest rankings. The Yellow Jackets were off last weekend, while the Cardinals and Cavaliers both lost.
While Miami is in the projected bracket if the season ended today, they may not be at season's end. Right now, Miami is on the outside looking in for the ACC title game. The Hurricanes need to win out, and need teams in front of them to continue to lose to even make it to Charlotte to play for a conference title.
There's a very real scenario where Miami, the team that the committee views as the best in the ACC, may not make the CFP. The ACC, which could be a one-bid league, would send its conference champion to the playoff instead.
There's a lot of football left to be played in the final month, and these things tend to take care of themselves. Still, Miami's jump to top team in the ACC on Tuesday is the biggest takeaway from the updated playoff rankings.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as CFP Selection Committee Chair Addresses Miami's Status After Rankings Bump.
