ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich blasted the College Football Playoff Committee Tuesday evening for leaving Miami out of the present playoff discipline.
The latest CFP prime 25 has Alabama at No. 11, a spot forward of Miami at No. 12, regardless of having yet one more loss than the Hurricanes. Should these rankings maintain, the Crimson Tide could be the final squad into the 12-team College Football Playoff discipline, whereas the Hurricanes could be the primary workforce out.
Committee chair Warde Manuel basically stated there was nothing Miami may do to leap Alabama at this level as a result of the Hurricanes shouldn’t have any further video games on the schedule and thus no means so as to add an additional “knowledge level.”
Alabama sits at 9-3 with losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma (in blowout trend). Miami is 10-2 with defeats by the hands of Georgia Tech and Syracuse. Manuel cited Alabama’s file towards prime 25 opponents (3-1) in comparison with Miami’s (0-1) as a part of the rationale in rating the Crimson Tide forward of the Hurricanes.
“It got here right down to a distinction of their physique of labor as we evaluated Alabama and Miami, not simply wins, not simply losses however the totality of the season and the way these groups carried out,” Manuel stated Tuesday evening in a teleconference name with reporters.
The choice to rank Miami over Alabama understandably did not sit nicely with Radakovich, who is aware of the method higher than most after serving on the CFP choice committee from 2014-17.
Phillips echoed Radakovich’s sentiments on the 2 groups’ resumes, saying the convention was “shocked and dissatisfied” the Hurricanes dropped six spots, and implored the committee to vary its thoughts earlier than Sunday’s last rankings.
“As we stay up for the ultimate rankings, we hope the Committee will rethink and put a deserving Miami within the discipline,” his assertion learn. “We will proceed to sit up for this weekend, when Clemson and SMU have a possibility to earn an ACC championship and characterize the convention within the CFP.”
For Phillips, an Crimson Tide workforce coming in forward of a ACC squad with fewer losses brings again dangerous recollections. Just final yr undefeated Florida State was handed up by one-loss Alabama within the last rankings, leaving the Seminoles out of the four-team playoff discipline.
Neither Miami nor Alabama can do something to enhance its standing going into convention championship week, however chaos may get rid of each groups from rivalry. Should No. 7 SMU fall to No. 17 Clemson, each groups would possibly get into the sphere, consuming up one of many at-large spots. However, Manuel additionally stated it was doable Alabama may get in over an SMU workforce that loses to the Tigers.
