ACC takes a stand, vouching for Miami over Notre Dame in CFP rankings

The most controversial decision the College Football Playoff committee made last week in its inaugural rankings was to place Notre Dame at No. 10 and Miami at No. 18.

Never mind that the two teams had identical 6-2 records or that the Hurricanes beat the Fighting Irish in the team’s head-to-head in Week 1.

Fans and pundits alike were frustrated. Why play the games if they don’t matter?

Turns out the ACC was irked, too.

In a rare move Monday night, the ACC appeared to directly call out Notre Dame in a social media post, comparing the teams’ resumes and advocating for Mario Cristobal’s Hurricanes, not Marcus Freeman’s Irish, to be in the top 10 heading into the second installment of rankings on Tuesday.

The post, entitled “WHO YA GOT?” pitted “Team A” (Miami) against “Team B” (Notre Dame) and asked X users to pick which team they’d give the nod to based on a head-to-head outcome, overall records, top 25 wins, FPI Top 35 wins and strength of record.

Both teams are 7-2, but Miami beat Notre Dame 27-24 in August. The Hurricanes have three top 25 wins to Notre Dame’s one, four FPI Top 35 wins to Notre Dame’s one and the No. 17 strength of record to the Fighting Irish’s No. 13, as ranked by ESPN.

It should be noted that of Miami’s three top 25 wins, only one (Notre Dame) was against a team currently in the top 25.

“Team A or Team B?” the post read. “Let’s look at the facts.”

Team A or Team B? Let’s look at the facts 🤔 pic.twitter.com/LLOv0j90MG

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) November 11, 2025

Notre Dame and the ACC have history. The conference has publicly made it known how much it would like for the Fighting Irish to join, while the Irish have made it clear that independence in football remains their top priority. The Fighting Irish average five ACC games per year and are full conference members in every sport except football and ice hockey (Big Ten).

If Miami were to earn a spot in and subsequently win the ACC Championship Game next month, this would all be a moot point, as the Hurricanes would automatically punch their ticket into the Playoff. But ideally, the ACC is trying to get multiple teams in, and it is the job of commissioner Jim Phillips to advocate for the Hurricanes in the event they’re on the outside looking in at the championship game in Charlotte.

Miami has to keep winning regardless, and clearly can’t afford a third loss this season to either NC State, Virginia Tech or Pittsburgh to close out the season. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has received more of the benefit of the doubt, though the Irish almost certainly can’t lose again either. This month, both teams play Pitt, which debuted at No. 24 in the initial CFP rankings, allowing the committee to evaluate the two teams against a common ranked opponent.

“No hypotheticals, just facts,” the ACC wrote in a follow-up post, further pushing for the Hurricanes. “Team A.”

No hypotheticals, just facts.

Team A ✅ https://t.co/2SshUcSWhK pic.twitter.com/eyHadwcQYt

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) November 11, 2025

As the ACC makes its case for Miami, it should be noted that The Athletic’s CFP projections by Austin Mock also have Notre Dame in a better position than the Hurricanes. According to Mock’s latest projections, the Irish have the sixth-best odds of making the playoff, at 93 percent. Miami, meanwhile, has the 27th-best odds, at 7 percent.