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The final set of College Football Playoff rankings ahead of conference championship week release on Tuesday night, and with neither Notre Dame nor Miami playing this week, the rankings could prove incredibly pivotal.
In the previous edition of the rankings, the Fighting Irish came in at No. 9, while the Hurricanes were on the outside looking in at No. 12, with a guaranteed spot for at least one conference champion ranked behind them.
That’s despite the fact that the teams had identical 9-2 (now 10-2) records, and that Miami holds a head-to-head victory over Notre Dame in the opening week of the season.
ACC Network Set To Show Miami-Notre Dame Game Eight Times Over Two Days
According to ESPN, Notre Dame sits just one spot ahead of Miami in strength of record and two spots ahead in strength of schedule. Many believe the similarities mean that the Hurricanes should be ranked ahead of the Irish due to the head-to-head victory.
Chief among them, unsurprisingly, is the ACC. And the conference is doing everything it can to hammer home that point.
I respect the commitment. pic.twitter.com/Q1qYTuvgJW
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) December 2, 2025
In order to do so, they’re attempting to remind anyone and everyone of what happened when the two teams faced off with one another.
According to the ACC Network schedule, the channel is set to air a replay of the Miami-Notre Dame four times on both Thursday and Friday.
Now, maybe they should have planned to do so before Tuesday’s rankings. It’s unlikely that anything that happens during the conference championship weekend would alter where the two teams sit. But you can’t fault the conference for trying!
Unfortunately for Miami and the ACC, Notre Dame seems to have perfected its independent schedule. For the second year running, the Fighting Irish lost early in the season only to throttle a weaker schedule down the stretch and fly up the rankings.
Unless the committee sends a statement, there’s no reason Notre Dame should ever change the way it schedules.