University of Miami Hurricanes bumped out of NCAA College Football Playoffs

Image via The Associated Press.

Chances were slim and ultimately too far for the University of Miami Hurricanes football program as they just missed getting a slot in the NCAA College Football Playoff postseason tournament.

This is the first year the NCAA expanded the FBS playoff system from four teams to 12 teams and the ‘Canes were just on the outside looking in. The 13-member 2024 College Football Playoff Committee Sunday named Miami 13th in the country, meaning they were not elevated to the playoff format.

Despite finishing with a surprising 10-2 record, it wasn’t good enough to get into the playoff system. Clemson, which won the Atlantic Coast Conference, which the Hurricanes are part of, slipped into the playoffs as the strongest playoff team from the conference after beating Southern Methodist University in the ACC championship game. UM’s two losses prevented the Hurricanes from reaching the conference title game, and even though SMU lost, that team still made it into the playoffs.

With UM getting bounced out of the 12-team playoff tournament, the entire state of Florida’s FBS football teams will be without any representation in the expanded NCAA playoff system.

The ACC lacked notable representation in the playoff tournament compared to other big-time conferences. The Big 10 has four teams in the playoffs, and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has three.

The playoff bracket has the Oregon Ducks, the top seed, Arizona State Sun Devils, Boise State Broncos and Georgia Bulldogs getting a first-round bye.

The lineup for the first round includes the Ohio State Buckeyes hosting the Tennessee Volunteers, the Texas Longhorns hosting the Clemson Tigers, the Penn State Nittany Lions hosting SMU, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish hosting the Indiana Hoosiers.

Now that the Miami Hurricanes are out of the playoff picture, the Miami Herald and other sports media outlets are reporting that the team is being considered for the Pop-Tarts Bowl, which is set for Dec. 28 in Orlando.