The Miami vs. Notre Dame playoff debate has been the talk of the sports world this week, and while many have talked about it among the talking heads, one notable name who carries a ton of weight hasn’t weighed in on it yet.
That is, until Saturday morning on College Gameday.
Saban and the rest of the crew were discussing the game, and the merits of both teams were being discussed. Saban’s turn came up, and he FINALLY addressed what NOBODY in the nation has been talking about – that Miami, in his words,
kicked Notre Dame’s ass on the field when they played.
“Yeah, but head-to-head, I mean, look at the game,” Saban said. “Miami was the more physical team in the game. Jeremiyah Love gained 33 yards in the game. The won on the line of scrimmage. They kicked Notre Dame’s ass in the game, alright? And that’s being totally not considered.”
Preach, coach. It’s not indeed. All I’ve heard about is how Notre Dame is hypothetically better. Notre Dame is more physical. Notre Dame would smoke Miami in a rematch and other teams. Why? The same absolute dudes on Miami’s lines would be waiting for the Irish in the trenches.
And it’s not even about hypotheticals. It’s about game tape and looking at what happened. Folks talk about a three-point home win. Well, if anyone cared to go back and watch the game that’s being played on repeat for the last couple of days on the ACC Network, Miami never trailed in that game. They led by double digits for a good chunk. And they physically controlled Notre Dame, particularly the Canes’ defensive front against the Irish offensive line. One of their starting offensive linemen had a 2.4 Pro Football Focus passing grade. TWO. POINT. FOUR! Two others had grades below 13. That’s insane.
The games have to matter. That point has been discussed ad nauseam. But the revisionist history taking place that Notre Dame didn’t get punched in the eye by Miami is one of the most under-discussed points of this entire week.
It’s nice hearing Saban say that. Hopefully it’s a reminder for those in the committee room who seem to have forgotten that.
