College football’s title picture got even cloudier after a pair of top-four teams went down Saturday.
The SEC devolved into further chaos when Georgia fell to Ole Miss. Meanwhile, one of just five undefeated FBS teams entering Week 11 suffered its first blemish. Miami’s perfect season ended with a 28-23 loss at Georgia Tech.
While Miami remains a prominent part of the College Football Playoff picture, Paul Finebaum isn’t taking the Hurricanes seriously as a national championship contender following Saturday’s setback.
“Miami still has a very good shot at making the Playoff, should they run the table and win the ACC,” Finebaum said on Sunday morning’s SportsCenter, per On3’s Dan Morrison. “But as far as them being legitimate — as far as them being a national contender, let us please bury that.”
Getty
The Hurricanes have a plus-219 point differential this season, but they also survived some scares with late comeback wins over Virginia Tech and California. They fell short of making more magic at Atlanta.
Cam Ward continued his Heisman-caliber season with 349 passing yards and three touchdowns, but the star quarterback lost a fumble on Miami’s final possession. Mario Cristobal’s defense also allowed 271 rushing yards and couldn’t get off the field, permitting nine third-down conversions in 14 times.
Finebaum believes Miami has endured too many close calls to stay in the “big boy conversation,” The loss places the squad behind SMU and Clemson in the ACC standings, so a CFP berth isn’t guaranteed either.
The betting market appears to agree with Finebaum’s analysis. Miami’s odds of winning the national title plummeted from +1100 to +4000 on BetMGM following Saturday’s loss.
Before they can prove Finebaum wrong, the Hurricanes must return from a Week 12 bye to stay in the CFP chase by defeating Wake Forest and Syracuse.
Related: Only 4 FBS Teams Remain Undefeated After Miami’s Upset Loss