Notre Dame Defeats Miami to Reset College Football Playoff Rankings
CJ Carr outperformed Darian Mensah in a 31-24 victory that ends the Hurricanes' perfect season and elevates the Fighting Irish in the committee's eyes.
By Pedro Tanaka ·
Notre Dame defeated No. 1 Miami 31-24 on Saturday night, a result that immediately removes the Hurricanes from the top of the College Football Playoff rankings. The victory serves as direct retribution for the 2025 season, when Miami defeated the Fighting Irish in the opener and secured the final playoff spot over them. With the Irish entering the game at No. 11 in the initial CFP rankings, the win was necessary to sustain their 2026 postseason trajectory.
Quarterback CJ Carr led the Irish offense to 319 passing yards and three touchdowns. Miami's Darian Mensah responded with 276 passing yards and three touchdowns of his own, though he played without injured star receiver Malachi Toney. The statistical edge for Carr proved decisive in a high-scoring affair that kept the contest close until the final minutes.
The decisive plays came from Luke Talich, a former walk-on from Cody, Wyoming. Late in the third quarter, Talich intercepted a pass that led to a touchdown, extending the Irish lead to 31-17. With under four minutes remaining, he stripped the ball from Elija Lofton while the receiver was securing a catch that would have tied the game. These defensive stops sealed the outcome.
The result forces a reshuffling of the top tier of the sport. Miami will drop from the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday, and a new team will assume the top position in the CFP rankings on Tuesday. Georgia presents the strongest challenge for that lead, having defeated Mississippi 42-7. The Bulldogs have won two consecutive games to recover from an earlier loss to Auburn, posting 295 rushing yards and sacking Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss five times.
Committee members must now weigh the performances of Notre Dame and Georgia to determine the new No. 1 seed. Both teams possess strong arguments for the top spot based on their recent results and quality of play. The decision will influence the seeding process for the upcoming playoff games.
Other major upsets and confirmations occurred earlier in the day. Ohio State lost 41-28 to Oregon at home, effectively ending its playoff hopes due to a lack of viable path to the Big Ten championship. Tennessee beat Kentucky 34-6, marking its sixth consecutive victory over that opponent. Alabama defeated LSU 31-13, improving its record against Lane Kiffin to 7-0.
Utah and UCLA remained unbeaten in their respective matchups. Utah defeated BYU 28-20, securing its second win against a Top 25 team in three weeks. UCLA beat Minnesota 34-20, improving to 9-0 for the first time since 1998. Texas defeated Missouri 34-20, keeping its own playoff status intact for another week.
