Saturday night's game in South Bend is the biggest of the college football season so far. No. 1 Miami is 8-0 and rolling, while No. 4 Notre Dame is 7-1 with its only loss coming at BYU two weeks ago. It's also a rematch of last year's game in Miami, which the Hurricanes won 27-24, and that result ultimately kept Notre Dame out of the College Football Playoff.
The Fighting Irish still don't have a signature win this season, and Miami is its last chance at a ranked win. For Miami, a win over a ranked opponent on the road would strengthen their hold of the No. 1 spot in the country, while the Irish get a chance to prove they belong in the CFP conversation after last year's snub. On Tuesday's episode of "First Take," ESPN's Paul Finebaum called it a must-win for Notre Dame, saying that if the Irish lose, they don't deserve to be in the playoffs anyway.
"If [Notre Dame doesn't beat Miami], they have no business being in the CFP," Finebaum said. "We heard all the crying from South Bend a year ago. They wouldn't even go to a bowl game ...
They might blow it if they don't win this game Saturday night. They have no wiggle room. They don't have anything else on their resume that would get them in." More news: Eli Drinkwitz Addresses Florida State Rumors After Mike Norvell Firing Notre Dame's schedule this season hasn't done anything to help their playoff resume.
The Irish beat Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in their season opener, followed by wins over Rice, Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina, Stanford, and Navy, all teams at or below .500. BYU was their only real test, and they lost. Another loss with no marquee win could leave them outside of the 12-team playoff field again, especially since the committee already ranked them 11th last year, behind a 10-2 Miami team that beat them head-to-head.
More news: Philip Rivers Emerges as Frontrunner for NC State Head Coaching Job More news: Oklahoma Fires Coach After Embarrassing 20-Point Loss to SEC Rival Marcus Freeman is one of the most respected coaches in the sport, but another playoff miss would raise serious questions about the future of the program, including pressure on Freeman, its status as an independent, and the argument that a team without a conference title game always has the thinnest résumé. A win, on the other hand, would erase all of those concerns.
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