The Miami Hurricanes finished the 2025 college football season with a 10-2 record, earning No. 12 position in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings released this past Tuesday.
Conference championship weekend saw two beneficial results for the Hurricanes: a dominant Texas Tech win over No. 11 BYU in the Big 12 championship game, and a dominant Georgia win over No. 9 Alabama in the SEC championship game.
Still, these results may not be enough to get Miami in the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
ESPN college football insider Heather Dinich revealed her final College Football Playoff projections on Saturday night — and her forecast does not bode well for the Hurricanes.
Dinich predicts Miami to land No. 11 position in the final College Football Playoff rankings, meaning one of the highest-ranked conference champions (JMU/Tulane) would take its spot in the 12-team field. Alabama is predicted to take the No. 10 spot, with Notre Dame at No. 9.
“With Alabama losing to Georgia in the SEC championship game, the College Football Playoff selection committee’s biggest decision Saturday night will be how far to drop the Tide — and the result could mean the difference for Miami’s playoff hopes,” Dinich wrote in her analysis.
“This depends in part on whom the committee is comparing the Canes with — Alabama or Notre Dame. It has been well-documented how close Miami and Notre Dame are. But if the group is comparing Miami and Alabama side-by-side, the Tide could have the edge,” she continued.
More Football: BYU Publicly Calls Out Kirk Herbstreit Over CFP Statement
Miami and Notre Dame are both 10-2 heading into the College Football Playoff, but the Hurricanes notched a head-to-head win over the Fighting Irish to open up the 2025 season. Despite that fact, Dinich believes the selection committee will give the advantage to Marcus Freeman’s squad — which has won each of its last 10 games.
Sunday’s selection show will begin at noon ET.
