Atlantic Coast Convention commissioner Jim Phillips is pushing for No. 12 Miami to earn a bid to the Faculty Soccer Playoff together with the winner of the league championship sport between No. 16 Virginia and Duke.
That comes with the ACC dealing with at the least the prospect of being squeezed out of the 12-team CFP completely primarily based on Tuesday evening’s rankings.
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In an interview with The Related Press, Phillips was emphatic in making his case for the Hurricanes after which the league’s eventual champion. That comes after the ACC had a logjam of 4 6-2 groups behind the Cavaliers, triggering a tiebreaker coverage that labored via a number of steps earlier than sending the five-loss Blue Devils forward of the Hurricanes and others for Saturday evening’s title sport in Charlotte.
“I’ve conviction and confidence in our groups, beginning with Miami,” Phillips informed the AP. “The second piece of that’s the Virginia-Duke winner ought to completely be on this Faculty Soccer Playoff.”
Present state of affairs
The Hurricanes (10-2) have closed sturdy because the league’s highest-ranked workforce within the AP Prime 25 and CFP rankings, whereas the Cavaliers (10-2) completed because the lone 7-1 ACC workforce.
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Duke’s inclusion, triggered by then-ranked SMU dropping at California final weekend, represents a possible chaos agent.
Computerized CFP bids go to the 5 highest-ranked league champions. That theoretically accounts first for the “Energy 4” champions from the ACC, Large 12, Large Ten and SEC. Then would come the highest-ranked champ from a Group of 5 league: the American, Convention USA, Mid-American, Mountain West and Solar Belt conferences.
In Tuesday’s CFP rankings, Miami is a bubble workforce for an at-large bid at No. 12 whereas the Cavaliers are seventeenth for a easy win-and-in state of affairs in Charlotte.
However Duke (7-5) is unranked. In the meantime, the American has each of its title-game groups (North Texas and Tulane) within the CFP rankings, placing that winner in line for a win-and-in ticket.
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After which there’s James Madison (11-1), which entered the CFP rankings at No. 25 earlier than Friday’s Solar Belt title sport in opposition to Troy. That, together with a Duke win in opposition to Virginia, might doubtlessly give the Solar Belt the fifth champion’s spot and depart the ACC’s CFP hopes resting with the on-the-bubble Hurricanes.
Phillips, who has beforehand been optimistic about touchdown a number of bids, is aware of the eventualities. He is undeterred that the ACC deserves two bids all the identical.
“I am not naive,” he stated, “however I’ve conviction about it.”
Miami’s case
Miami’s place stands out with the Hurricanes having a head-to-head win with Notre Dame, which sits two spots forward within the CFP rankings regardless of that 27-24 season-opening loss.
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That consequence would seemingly be a differentiator contemplating the groups have matching 10-2 information and comparable ESPN strength-of-schedule rankings (Notre Dame forty second, Miami forty fourth). The Hurricanes have extra wins in opposition to top-40 groups in ESPN’s Faculty Soccer Energy Index (5) than the Combating Irish (two) and a greater file in opposition to AP-ranked groups on the time of the matchup (Miami at 4-0, Notre Dame at 2-2).
Moreover, the groups had matching video games in opposition to two bowl-eligible groups — residence in opposition to N.C. State, at then-ranked Pittsburgh — amongst their 4 frequent opponents. The Hurricanes beat the Wolfpack and Panthers by a mixed 65 factors, extra than the Irish’s 51 factors in these video games.
“I stay steadfast in my conviction, which has solely grown stronger over the season — particularly these final 4 weeks,” Phillips stated. “The attention check, the stats, the outcomes — they’ve earned a spot within the playoff.”
These comparisons have additionally been a subject for Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich in social-media posts this week, with one noting: “Head-to-head not ‘a’ knowledge level however ‘the’ knowledge level!”
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Phillips stated he was “extremely stunned and really upset” to see the Hurricanes did not rise after a 38-7 win in opposition to a Pitt workforce ranked twenty second within the CFP rankings final week. However Phillips pointed to choice committee chairman Hunter Yurachek saying no groups are locked into place, even when they are not taking part in this week.
Phillips stated the ACC has been in fixed contact with the committee “and that is going to proceed as much as the alternatives.”
“We all know the ultimate rankings aren’t till Sunday, so there’s time for course correction by the committee,” Phillips stated. “The committee’s made it clear that idle groups can transfer up within the remaining rankings. And we’re going to proceed our efforts, as there’s no query Miami’s a playoff workforce they usually’ve earned a spot within the playoff.”
The Duke query
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Virginia moved up a spot in Tuesday’s CFP rankings — “Happy to see them transfer up, though I imagine they need to be larger,” Phillips stated — to place them a win from the playoff.
A Duke win might make issues dicier. However Phillips was able to make that case, too, leaning largely on schedule power.
The Blue Devils gained the ACC tiebreaker with the Hurricanes, Georgia Tech, SMU and Pitt by advantage of its ACC opponents having one of the best mixed profitable proportion in league play (.500).
Beating the Cavaliers would mark a seventh win in opposition to a Energy 4 opponent, whereas Duke’s 5 losses got here to groups — together with at Tulane within the American — with a mixed file of 46-14 (.767).
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By comparability, newly ranked James Madison misplaced its solely sport to a Energy 4 workforce (at ACC member Louisville), whereas solely one in every of its wins got here in opposition to a workforce with a profitable file in comparison with Duke’s 4.
The Blue Devils’ opponents have a mixed 98-58 (.628) file in comparison with JMU’s going 74-82 (.474), whereas ESPN ranks Duke’s power of schedule at 74th in comparison with JMU’s at 118th.
“The administration committee has made it clear this offseason that power of schedule should be prioritized,” Phillips stated.
Duke coach Manny Diaz believes the Blue Devils “completely” would deserve a CFP bid in the event that they win the ACC title, noting: “Information have loads to do with schedules.”
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“I’ve frolicked within the Solar Belt, I’ve coached in Convention USA, I’ve coached in these sorts of leagues,” Diaz stated Sunday. “I used to be very happy with what we did after I was in these leagues. However it’s not the identical week in and week out of the groups it’s a must to play in opposition to, the gamers it’s a must to play in opposition to, and what we have needed to compete in opposition to going via the ACC this yr.”
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