CFB Playoff Chairman: ‘Eye Test’ Separates Miami From Undefeated BYU
Nov 5, 2024, 8:13 PM
BYU football doesn't pass the "eye test" compared to fellow undefeated Miami in the College Football Playoff rankings. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – BYU football ranked No. 9 in the initial College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings.
It wasn’t a complete surprise. This week, BYU ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll rankings.
However, there was a sizable gap between Big 12 leader BYU and ACC leader Miami.
College Football Playoff Chairman Warde Manual on why undefeated Miami is five spots in front of undefeated #BYU in the initial CFP rankings:
"It really came down to more of an eye test as it related to looking at both teams, and the committee as we ranked them saw them in that…
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 6, 2024
The Hurricanes ranked No. 4 in the College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings. Like BYU, Miami is undefeated.
Miami is 9-0 this season and boasts one of the nation’s top quarterbacks, Cam Ward.
So why is there a five-spot gap between two power conference leaders?
College Football Playoff Chairman states “eye test” between BYU and Miami
College Football Playoff Chairman Warde Manual was asked in a teleconference shortly after the Top 25 rankings were released on Tuesday night.
It was the first question Manual fielded in the teleconference.
“Well, I think both teams are obviously very good, and when we looked at how Miami has played, particularly their offensive prowess, they were impressive in their win against Louisville, and they really had a dominating show at the beginning of the year against Florida, came back against Cal in a very late-night contest for Miami,” Manual said.
The first-year CFP Chairman gave some praise to BYU’s resume.
“BYU, as well, is very strong,” said Manual. “Impressive wins against SMU No. 13 and No. 19 Kansas [State] in a dominating fashion.
But everyone’s favorite subjective metric, “eye test,” played a role in the gap.
Manual concluded, “It really came down to more of an eye test as it related to looking at both teams, and the committee as we ranked them saw them in that fashion, and it came out in that order.”
Sizing up the resumes
Miami has one win over a College Football Playoff Top 25 team: the Louisville Cardinals. Louisville ranks lower than the teams that BYU defeated: SMU and Kansas State.
BYU’s strength of record is fourth nationally by the ESPN FPI, while Miami is third.
This week, BYU travels to Salt Lake City to face rival Utah, which is currently on a four-game losing streak. Miami travels to Atlanta to face 5-4 Georgia Tech.
The bigger issue for both teams is that they are the only representatives in their respective conferences in the Top 10. Meanwhile, the SEC and Big Ten comprise 70% of the Top 10.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
