Regardless of the disingenuous arguments to the contrary, the Miami Hurricanes just don’t have the resume to stack up against the Alabama Crimson Tide and that’s why Miami is on the outside looking in for the College Football Playoff.
Do we really have to pretend that Miami belongs in the College Football Playoff over Alabama?
If you haven’t been on the College Football side of X (Formerly Twitter) in the past couple of days, let me fill you in. “wHeRe iS mIaMi???” The 10-2 Hurricanes fell from No. 6 to No. 12 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, placing them behind Alabama for what many assume will be the final playoff spot.
But despite a better record, it’s hard to imagine the Canes getting the nod above Alabama, considering the Committee’s selection process. The process that goes through: conference championships won, strength of schedule, head-to-head, and common opponents.
Putting conference championships aside, your first criterion to distinguish Miami and Alabama is the strength of schedule. Miami, 10-2, 6-2 ACC has a superior record to Alabama, 9-3, 5-3 SEC, but their strength of schedule just isn’t there.
According to ESPN, Miami’s strength of schedule is No. 55, and their strength of record with that is No. 14. Alabama, meanwhile, comes in at No. 17 for SOS and a SOR that puts them at No. 10.
Breaking it down game by game, Miami’s record objectively looks weaker than Alabama’s. This season, Miami only played two teams inside the top 30 on ESPN’s Football Power Index, going 2-0, while Alabama played seven, going 5-2.
When you compare the losses, Alabama arguably still comes out better. Miami’s two losses came to Georgia Tech and Syracuse, who posted a combined 16-8 record record while ranking No. 38 and No. 53 in the power index. For Alabama, the three losses have a joint record of 22-14. The lowest-ranked team, Alabama, took a loss to Vanderbilt ranks No. 39 in the FPI.
While both programs have their ugly losses, it’s easier to forgive Alabama’s loss to Tennessee with the Vols being a playoff team. The other two losses are a little different. Syracuse and Georgia Tech have better records than Oklahoma and Vanderbilt, but the SOS and FPI have the Sooners and Commadores as better teams.
