Notre Dame Extends Lead to 24-17 Over No. 1 Miami in Fourth Quarter

Q: How will Notre Dame's dramatic upset over No. 1 Miami reshape their 2026 College Football Playoff trajectory after the BYU loss?

Notre Dame’s win over No. 1 Miami likely transforms its playoff path from fragile bubble status into a strong at-large position, and it revives an outside shot at a top-four seed if chaos develops above them. Before the game, the Irish were No. 11 in the CFP rankings and were being penalized for a weak résumé after the 28-24 loss to BYU. Committee chair Hunter Yurachek had explicitly said Notre Dame lacked a “signature win.” Beating an unbeaten No. 1 Miami directly fixes that problem. It gives Notre Dame one of the best wins in the country and removes the biggest criticism of its profile. The BYU loss still matters, so this does not fully erase the damage. Notre Dame remains an independent without a conference title game to add another marquee result, and its remaining schedule does not offer many chances to impress the committee beyond SMU if the Mustangs stay ranked. That means the Irish are not suddenly safe if they stumble again. At 10-2, they would again invite scrutiny over strength of schedule. But at 11-1, Notre Dame would now be in excellent shape. Under the 2026 format, the Irish are assured a CFP berth if they finish in the committee’s top 12, and this victory makes that outcome highly likely if they win out. More realistically, the Miami upset pushes Notre Dame into the home-game range, probably around the No. 6 to No. 9 seed area, rather than merely fighting to stay in the field.

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 7

Nolan James Jr.’s 1-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pushed No. 11 Notre Dame back in front 24-17 with 12:55 left after Miami had cut a 24-3 deficit to one score.
CJ Carr set up the drive with a fourth-and-3 conversion, hitting James for 36 yards, and had climbed to a season-high 304 passing yards—just the third 300-yard game of his career.
Luke Talich’s third-quarter interception helped halt Miami’s surge after the Hurricanes scored twice in the second half and threatened to tie the game.
The stakes are playoff-sized: Notre Dame likely needs the win to keep its CFP hopes alive, while unbeaten Miami is trying to protect its No. 1 status without injured receiver Malachi Toney.