Even Paul Finebaum is over the committee’s nonsense regarding Miami-Notre Dame

2 hours ago7 min read1 comments

The College Football Playoff committee has once again ignited a firestorm of controversy with its third rankings release, placing the Miami Hurricanes at number 13, a full four spots behind a Notre Dame team they decisively defeated 27-24 in a thrilling Week 1 showdown. This baffling decision, defended by CFP chairman Hunter Yurachek with a logic that prioritizes the 'quality' of losses over a direct, incontrovertible head-to-head result, is a statistical absurdity that even the most ardent Miami skeptics are finding impossible to defend.The committee's rationale, as Yurachek explained, hinges on comparing the losses of the two teams with identical records, noting that Miami fell to two unranked opponents while Notre Dame's defeats came at the hands of squads in the top 13. This analytical framework is fundamentally flawed, akin to judging two chess players by the caliber of their opponents in losses while completely ignoring the fact that one player checkmated the other.The head-to-head result is the most fundamental, binary data point in all of competitive sport; it is the ultimate tiebreaker, the definitive statement on which team was superior on a given day. To dismiss it is to undermine the very essence of competition.The outcry reached a fever pitch when Paul Finebaum, a longtime media figure not known for his pro-Miami sentiments, unleashed a blistering critique on ESPN’s Get Up. 'It rubs me beyond the wrong way,' Finebaum declared, cutting to the heart of the matter.'I’ve been hearing. that Notre Dame there’s a bias.There is a bias. Let’s just go ahead and admit it.And this committee, I have no earthly idea why they can’t move beyond it because they’re supposed to be objective. ' His frustration culminated in a poignant question that echoes through every sports bar and living room: 'They beat Notre Dame.Shouldn’t head-to-head matter in college football or in any sporting event? But apparently to this committee, it does not matter at all. ' This isn't merely a debate over rankings; it's a crisis of credibility for the entire College Football Playoff system.The committee's apparent mission to position Notre Dame for a playoff berth, 'come hell or high water,' reeks of a predetermined narrative rather than an objective evaluation of on-field accomplishments. The initial seeding on November 4th, which placed Miami a staggering eight spots behind the Irish they had beaten, now appears as a strategic maneuver, a calculated buffer designed to ensure the head-to-head result would never become an inconvenient obstacle.It’s a move straight out of a political playbook, not a sporting one. The committee seems to be operating under the assumption that if they ignore the glaring contradiction loudly enough, perhaps everyone else will too, like Lloyd Christmas in *Dumb and Dumber* with his hands over his ears.This situation exposes a critical flaw in a system reliant on human judgment susceptible to brand bias and historical prestige. For the Miami Hurricanes, the path forward is agonizingly clear and unfairly narrow: their fate cannot be left in the hands of a committee demonstrating such a profound 'absence of logic and fairness.' Their only recourse is to win out, secure a spot in the ACC Championship game, and force the issue with such undeniable force that the committee's favoritism becomes impossible to execute. The integrity of the sport demands nothing less.

#College Football Playoff

#CFP Committee

#Notre Dame Fighting Irish

#Miami Hurricanes

#Paul Finebaum

#head-to-head controversy

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