Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 29, 2025 53 E SPN's high-priced graphic package hit your eyes. The suspenseful score that's be- come ingrained in your brain over the past decade filled your living room. And once Miami's name flashed across your screen at No. 13 in the latest College Foot- ball Playoff rankings Nov. 18, the panelists turned their attention to Notre Dame. "There is Miami," ESPN host Rece Davis said. "Two spots up and inching closer to maybe this head-to-head carrying the day with the win early against Notre Dame." Before we get into why that's not necessarily true, let's give the Hurricanes their flowers. There is a reason Miami has moved up from No. 18 to No. 13 since the initial rankings dropped Nov. 4. The committee's negative opinion of Miami back then was "consistency, or lack of it." The Hurricanes had lost two games they should absolutely not have lost, a home matchup against Louisville and a road battle at SMU — neither of whom are currently ranked. But since then, they beat Syracuse 38-10 and North Carolina State 41-7. That second game was particularly significant, because the Wolfpack de- feated two Atlantic Coast Conference contenders in Georgia Tech and Virginia. Miami made them look like a cupcake. More to the point, though, Miami is passing the eye test in ways it did not in early November. It looks better, which clearly matters to this committee. "If they continue, with two straight road wins in these next couple weeks, to dominate like that," ESPN analyst Greg McElroy said. "The eye test is gonna look pretty good for the Canes after that midseason swoon." Statements like that, though, only see half the picture. Because if you haven't noticed, the eye test remains strong for No. 9 Notre Dame, too. Take the 37-15 win over Pitt Nov. 15, which the Irish dominated from start to finish against a ranked opponent on the road. Jeremiyah Love continues to look like the best player in the country. CJ Carr continues to play well beyond his years. The defense continues to im- prove every week, and it played "lights out," as Marcus Freeman described it, in Pittsburgh. Those who have actually watched the Irish, like the committee and like ESPN play-by-play announcer Joe Tessitore (who called the Pitt game), know that. "Teams don't stay the same," Tes- sitore said. "You get better or you get worse. Notre Dame is much, much bet- ter each and every week as they roll to- ward the College Football Playoff. That was a statement win the other day." Those were also the reasons the com- mittee gave when it first explained Notre Dame's strong ranking compared to other two-loss teams. Well, that and the losses themselves, which came at the hands of Miami and No. 3 Texas A&M. That hasn't changed, either, and it's why the Irish stayed at No. 9 instead of dropping to No. 10, behind Alabama. It's also why it should come as no surprise that committee chair Hunter Yurachek said Miami's head-to-head win isn't even a part of the conversation. Yet. "We haven't really compared those two teams," Yurachek told Davis. "They haven't been in similar compara- tive pools to date. But Miami is creeping up into that range where they will be compared to Notre Da m e i f so m e t h i n g h a p p e n s above them." When it does, the reasons the Irish started November so far ahead of the Hurricanes should still prevail. But that could change if Notre Dame looks less like a playoff team down the stretch. Barring an incomprehensible collapse, the Irish will finish 10-2. But it's what they do in those likely wins over Syracuse and Stanford that can help or hurt them. Do they look like the title contender who bludgeoned a ranked Pitt team on the road? Or do they look like the underachieving team who only beat Boston College by 15? The committee decided that was a one-off when it put Notre Dame in the top 10 days later. If it happens again, it could spell trouble. And not just with Miami. What if No. 5 Texas Tech loses the Big 12 championship game, and the committee has to decide whether to put the Red Raiders above the Irish or not? What if No. 15 Southern Cal upsets No. 7 Oregon and the Ducks join the bubble? What if No. 18 Michigan does the unthinkable (again) and knocks off No. 1 Ohio State, putting the Wolverines in the conversation? All would pose situations that could put the Irish, who are currently the sec- ond-to-last team in the projected field, at risk. Putting together two convincing performances, both on film and on the stat sheet, remains as important as ever for Freeman and company. The committee's members have made it clear that it thinks Notre Dame is a playoff team, even when compared to Miami, Alabama and whichever chaos scenarios come its way. But the Irish have to be careful not to give them a reason to rethink that. ✦ Don't Give Them A Reason To Rethink Staff writer Jack Soble has covered Notre Dame athletics for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2023. Contact him at Jack.Soble@on3.com. OFF THE DOME JACK SOBLE Notre Dame remains comfortably ahead of Miami despite its head-to- head loss — for now. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP