That couldn’t have gone worse for poor Hunter Yurachek, thrown to the college football wolves with raw beef around his neck.
The College Football Playoff selection committee rolled out a new chairman Tuesday night, because the previous committee chairman is on leave from his school, and the ranking that prides itself on integrity couldn’t have that.
So they went and shoveled more funny business with the new guy.
Loaded up Yurachek with Notre Dame and Miami talking points, and threw him in front of a camera to answer the obvious question on everyone’s mind: What in blue blazes is the committee doing with the Irish and Canes?
‘When you look at Notre Dame and Miami, we really compare the losses of those two teams,’ Yurachek said on ESPN’s selection show, and this shell game already isn’t going where they want it to go.
Then the hammer drops, and reality arrives: This committee is making it up as they go along. No rhyme or reason, no true north.
Don’t believe me? Let’s return to Yurachek, the Arkansas athletic director asked to do the untenable: Defend the committee ranking No. 9 Notre Dame ahead of No. 13 Miami.
Miami, of course, beat up Notre Dame in the season opener for both teams, but you wouldn’t know it from this all-timer of a response from Yurachek ― who, again, was given talking points by the group to regurgitate on national television. So let’s not blame him.
‘Miami lost to two unranked teams, Notre Dame lost to two ranked teams,’ Yurachek said.
It’s at this point where any sane person would cock their head and think, you know one of those two Notre Dame losses to ranked teams was to Miami, right?
Miami and Notre Dame have identical records. Miami beat Notre Dame. Even if there were a wild discrepancy in schedule ranks (there isn’t), there is no nuance there.
Miami won when the two teams played. Period.
Fortunately for Miami, it’s clear this group is moving the chess pieces weekly to fit the entire board. What looks real and tangible one week, can be blown out of the water the next (hello, Alabama).
A look at the highlights of the Week 3 CFP poll:
The Fortunate
No. 7 Oregon
Still trying to figure out what the selection committee sees in the Ducks, because it can’t be the wins at Penn State or Iowa ― a whole lot of meh from two teams with a combined 10-10 record.
The Ducks have no wins against current CFP Top 25 teams, but buddy, they sure did look great in that overtime win at Penn State two months ago, when the current Virginia Tech coach was the Penn State coach.
The Big 12
An argument could be made that No. 5 Texas Tech should be the No. 4 team in the CFP poll. The Red Raiders’ only blemish is a last-second loss at Arizona State, a game starting quarterback Behren Morton missed with a leg injury.
Only Ohio State (maybe) plays better defense than Texas Tech. Imagine the Red Raiders’ defense against the offensively-challenged Ohio State schedule. Here’s a hint: same results.
But after Texas Tech, what do you really have? No. 12 Utah got its first win against a CFP Top 25 team when the committee moved Arizona State (3-2 in its past five) into the poll after a two-point win over West Virginia. The Utes’ two losses are at home by 24 to Texas Tech, and by three at BYU.
Or the Big 12’s version of Notre Dame: Hey, look at our great losses!
Then there’s BYU, which beat Utah and lost by 22 at Texas Tech. But when Arizona beats Baylor this weekend and improves to 8-3, the Wildcats will enter the poll to support the BYU ranking. See how this shell game works?
No. 3 Texas A&M
Raise your hand if you think the Aggies can beat Georgia. But Texas A&M is unbeaten, and until someone beats … blah, blah, blah.
If the Aggies reach the SEC Championship game, they will have done so by avoiding Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, Oklahoma and Vanderbilt on the schedule. Or the five ranked SEC teams behind Texas A&M in the current CFP Top 25.
The Frantic
No. 10 Alabama
I have a feeling a drop of six spots from No. 4 has more to do with the initial season opening loss to average Florida State, than it does a two-point loss to previous No. 11 Oklahoma (insert your Notre Dame joke here).
By moving the Tide to No. 10, the committee has made it difficult for the SEC to have a three-loss team in the 12-team field in a chalk scenario. Alabama could beat Auburn, and not move in next week’s poll ― then lose in the SEC Championship game and drop out of the playoff.
I don’t need to explain what that means, do I?
Nick Saban: owned four-team playoff.
Kalen Deboer: zero appearances in two 12-team playoffs.
No. 18 Michigan
How far can one team jump with a win over mighty Ohio State? Because beating Maryland, which has lost six straight, doesn’t do much for a resume.
Would a win over Ohio State be enough? That might mean a jump of nine spots in the poll after Rivalry Week, because even winning out doesn’t guarantee Michigan a spot in the Big Ten Championship game ― where it could earn an automatic spot.
No. 6 Ole Miss
The doomsday scenario begins with a loss at bitter rival Mississippi State as a double-digit favorite in the Egg Bowl. Like that hasn’t happened before.
It then includes Miami jumping Notre Dame to give the ACC two spots in the 12-team field. If that happens, and Alabama beats unbeaten Texas A&M in the SEC championship game, the Rebels will be sweating Selection Sunday.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.