When Notre Dame meets Miami later this fall, the matchup will almost certainly determine which team goes to the College Football Playoff. The only realistic way it won't is if it is the loser's only loss of the year. That's what scares former Hurricane legend Michael Irvin the most.
Last year, the final CFP spot seemingly came down to the Irish or the 'Canes, and Miami ended up getting in because they won the head-to-head matchup earlier in the season. This year, even if Mario Cristobal's team gives Marcus Freeman's squad its only loss, there's less of a guarantee they get in over ND.
Notre Dame football gets top-12 CFP guarantee while Miami still has ACC automatic-bid path
Notre Dame has a provision in the newest College Football Playoff rules that guarantees a playoff berth if it finishes in the top 12 of the final CFP rankings. This new provision is a part of the CFP's revised format, which also grants automatic bids to the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC champions, plus the highest-ranked champion from the group of 6 conferences. A year ago, the Irish were jumped because a conference champion was officially lower-ranked but received an automatic bid.
Irvin talked about why the new rule worries him, specifically regarding the Irish, but he also said it just doesn't feel fair in general on a recent podcast.
"I'm worried about this promise to ND, as long as they're top 12, they're in," Irvin said. "That means if Miami is ranked high, we've got to make sure they win that game. And I'm worried about that."
Unsurprisingly, Irvin is not entirely right. If Notre Dame beats Miami in South Bend and gets some revenge for 2025, the Hurricanes can still get into the College Football Playoff. The Canes can, in fact, lose all of their non-conference games and still make the CFP as long as they win their conference.
In other words, while Irvin is complaining about the "promise" the Fighting Irish have, he's ignoring the "promise" that the ACC champs, as well as the Big 12, the Big Ten, and the SEC champs, and the highest-ranked G6 champions all got.
In other words, Michael Irvin is mad that Miami doesn't get an extra promise that even if they don't win the ACC, they can still beat out Notre Dame … for reasons.
The promise the Fighting Irish have received is that they will be treated fairly and not penalized for not being part of a conference. The rest of the NCAA would, in fact, like them to be penalized to the point where ND is forced to join the Big Ten or ACC full-time.
The provision that the Hurricanes and NFL legend are complaining about is just a way, granted by the CFP, not just blanket-given to Notre Dame because they asked for it, by the way, to keep fairness intact. After last season's shenanigans, where the CFP committee pulled the rug out from under Marcus Freeman and his squad after essentially telling them they'd make it for weeks, it only seems fair.
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