The Miami Hurricanes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were the last two teams fighting for the final spot in the College Football Playoff field on Sunday. And, by virtue of a 27-24 win by Miami on August 31, the Hurricanes got the nod over the Irish by the selection committee after an in-depth debate over the teams.

The process leading up to the final results were confusing to some, particularly to Notre Dame fans, who questioned how the schools could have flipped at the eleventh hour after neither team played over the weekend. To that, Hunter Yurachek offered the explanation in line with what he said on Tuesday – that head-to-head came more into play once BYU – who got bombed 34-7 in a rematch with Texas Tech – dropped behind the Hurricanes.

Irish fans feel victimized, and there are plenty who feel the process failed them even if the result ended up right. And there might be something to the process in all of this (even though there’s also the point that Miami improved, finished strong, and closed the gap).

But in the end, two teams who were side-by-side in the rankings played on the field. And that result, even though very early in the season, carried the day. As it should have.

And it was very relevant for early-season college football action.

The Hurricanes’ playoff selection over Notre Dame proved that early season results still matter, despite arguments by some to the contrary

The airwaves and social media are replete with examples of people contesting the weight that Miami’s 27-24 win over Notre Dame back on August 31 should have received. I don’t have to post them. You’ve probably read them, or if you haven’t, they’re easy to find.

Many argued that Notre Dame’s loss to Miami was early in the season, and since then, the Irish have improved substantially and that the loss shouldn’t be counted heavily against them. Or Notre Dame would win now if they played again, effectively dismissing what happened on the field.

But if you entertain those arguments – if you minimize the importance of playing and winning an early-season marquee matchup – then you affect the meaningfulness of those games. If you open the door for teams to potentially absorb a loss OR pick up a win that they’re not later given full credit for, why would any team want to ever play in a meaningful early season game, non-conference or otherwise? It’s a lose-lose scenario, or at least (perhaps a touch more accurately) a lose-not-gain-much scenario.

Had Miami and Notre Dame been evaluated as close teams as they supposedly were, but Notre Dame given the nod because either the head-to-head win was minimized as early or the Irish were viewed as the better team right now, then that would contribute to a possible chilling effect on the future of early season matchups that we love to see in college football.

Fortunately, common sense and fairness won out for Miami, and that early-season risk – and victory – in August paid off handsomely in December for the Canes. And it is an example that can be pointed to if anyone has second thoughts about scheduling an early big-time matchup down the road.

College Football

‘Totally not being considered’ — Nick Saban reminds everyone on College GameDay of a forgotten aspect of the Miami vs. Notre Dame playoff debate

Nick Saban had a strong comment about the Miami vs. Notre Dame debate and pointed out something that not enough folks are talking about.

Craig Smith