The Playoff Committee spoke loudly ranking Miami as the top team in the ACC

The College Football Playoff Committee spoke loudly putting Miami as the highest ranked ACC team in the second College Football Playoff Rankings. It appeared the Canes were dead in the water after a loss to SMU to start November but a win last week over Syracuse as well as wild upset weekend in the conference find themselves right where they need to be.

The name alone carries weight in college football and that is why they are the highest ranked despite Georgia Tech only having one conference loss and Miami losing to Louisville at home. The decision makers also have put the loss to SMU as a quality loss despite the Ponies still not being ranked.

Mario Cristobal has a reputation of his teams falling apart in November but has been given a second chance this season to prove that is no longer true. The remaining schedule is far from easy including a home game against the team who knocked off Georgia Tech but also ends the season on the road at Pittsburgh. If they can win the next three games including one that may include winter weather than they will have proven they deserve a spot in the Playoff even if they can't sneak into the ACC Championship.

The other part of the puzzle that favors Miami as long as they handle their own business is the remaining schedule for other possible conference contenders. Louisville still has to go to Dallas next week, Virginia still has to go Duke, and they would not have to play who I still see as the best team in the conference until December. The ACC Championship has been kryptonite to the Canes since they joined the conference and now, and they'll have a chance to change the narrative if they get the help that they need. Clearly the committee feels they belong, and we will see if the team has the same belief and ability to close the deal.