College Football Playoff Rankings 2017: Projected top four after Week 11
By Brad Weiss
Miami Hurricanes (9-0)
Last week: W 41-8 vs. No. 3 Notre Dame
Last rank: NR
The “U” is officially back, and for all of those who thought otherwise, the time has come to change your mind. On Saturday, the Miami Hurricanes hosted the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the biggest game for the program in years, and they certainly put on a show in front of their home fans. The “Turnover Chain” was in full effect, the offense was solid, and in the end, it was complete domination by the Hurricanes.
Coming into the game, many believed that the Fighting Irish would roll over the Hurricanes. While Miami was unbeaten, Notre Dame had taken care of business against much tougher competition, and really earned their ranking in the College Football Playoff. On Tuesday, when the new rankings are announced, it is going to be very hard for the committee to pass up on an undefeated Hurricanes squad who pasted Notre Dame on Saturday night.
The defense led the way in this one, as they intercepted Notre Dame star quarterback Brandon Wimbush on numerous occasions. Freshman defensive back Trajan Bandy made his first collegiate interception a big one, as he ran it back for a 65-yard touchdown. That score gave the Hurricanes a 27-0 lead heading into the locker room for halftime, and Miami did not look back from there.
There is still a huge matchup on the horizon for the Hurricanes, as they will take on the Clemson Tigers in the ACC Championship Game. While both teams have been great this season, there is no way that two ACC teams will be represented in the College Football Playoff. Miami looks like the real deal and will have two chances to fix some things before they take on the Tigers ins the conference title game.