The College Football Playoff committee will answer arguably the most important question when it comes to assembling the 12-team field on Dec. 8 in Tuesday's penultimate set of rankings.
Miami or Notre Dame? The Irish were ranked No. 10 in the first set of rankings but have stuck at No. 9 the last three weeks. The Hurricanes started at No. 18 but have moved up to No. 12. There is a chance the two schools could be ranked back-to-back on Tuesday.
Or dare we say, head-to-head? We'll get to that part of the argument – Miami's 27-24 victory against Notre Dame in the season opener on Aug. 31. This figures to be the most intense debate unless No. 10 Alabama joins the chat with a loss in the SEC championship game. We'll get to that, too.
First, let's look at the schedules, rankings and case for each team in what is going to be a heated head-to-head argument.
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Notre Dame's strength of schedule
Here is a look at Notre Dame's schedule, how their best wins looked at the time, how they look now and the losses on their schedule:
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT | OPP RECORD | CFP RANK |
| Aug. 31 | at No. 10 Miami | L 27-24 | 10-2 | No. 12 |
| Sept. 6 | vs. No. 16 Texas A&M | L 41-40 | 11-1 | No. 3 |
| Sept. 13 | vs. Purdue | W 56-30 | 2-10 | |
| Sept. 27 | at Arkansas | W 56-13 | 2-10 | |
| Oct. 4 | vs. Boise State | W 28-7 | 8-4 | |
| Oct. 11 | vs. NC State | W 36-7 | 7-5 | |
| Oct. 18 | vs. No. 20 USC | W 34-24 | 9-3 | No. 17 |
| Nov. 1 | at Boston College | W 25-10 | 2-10 | |
| Nov. 8 | vs. Navy | W 49-10 | 9-2 | |
| Nov. 15 | at No. 22 Pitt | W 37-15 | 8-4 | No. 22 |
| Nov. 22 | vs. Syracuse | W 70-7 | 3-9 | |
| Nov. 29 | at Stanford | W 49-20 | 4-8 | |
| 10-2 | 75-68 | 4 |
Who they played: The Irish's opponents have a combined 75-68 record; a combined.524 winning percentage that is not overwhelming by any means. Notre Dame played three teams that won two games this season and feasted on the other five ACC teams outside of Miami on the schedule. The Irish beat those five opponents by a combined score of 217-59.
Who they beat: The Irish beat two opponents that were ranked at the time in No. 20 USC and No. 22 Pitt. The Trojans will still be in the CFP rankings after finishing 9-3. The Panthers might fall out after a loss to Miami in Week 14. Navy may climb in after finishing in a three-way tie for first in the American.
Who they lost to: Miami, for starters. The Hurricanes beat Notre Dame in the opener, and Texas A&M – which will fall from No. 3 but still be in the top eight – beat the Irish 41-40 the following week. Those teams finished with a combined record of 21-3.
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Miami's strength of schedule
Here is a look at Miami's schedule, how their best wins looked at the time, how they look now and the losses on their schedule:
| DATE | OPPONENT | RESULT | OPP RECORD | CFP RANK |
| Aug. 31 | vs. No. 6 Notre Dame | W 27-24 | 10-2 | No. 9 |
| Sept. 6 | vs. Bethune-Cookman | W 45-3 | 6-6 | |
| Sept. 13 | vs. No. 18 South Florida | W 49-12 | 9-3 | |
| Sept. 20 | vs. Florida | W 26-7 | 4-8 | |
| Oct. 4 | at No. 18 Florida State | W 28-22 | 5-7 | |
| Oct. 17 | vs. Louisville | L 24-21 | 8-4 | |
| Oct. 25 | vs. Stanford | W 42-7 | 4-8 | |
| Nov. 1 | at SMU | L 26-20 OT | 8-4 | No. 21 |
| Nov. 8 | vs. Syracuse | W 38-10 | 3-9 | |
| Nov. 15 | vs. NC State | W 41-7 | 7-5 | |
| Nov. 22 | at Virginia Tech | W 34-17 | 3-9 | |
| Nov. 29 | at No. 22 Pitt | W 38-7 | 8-4 | No. 22 |
| 10-2 | 75-69 | 3 |
Who they played: The Hurricanes opponents have a 75-69 record – a.521 winning percentage that is a half-game behind Notre Dame and could end up being the same if Navy loses to Army in those teams' regular-season finale. Notre Dame and Miami played four common ACC opponents. Both teams finished 4-0. The Irish outscored those opponents 192-49. Miami outscored those opponents 159-31.
Who they beat: Miami beat Notre Dame and three other opponents that were ranked at the time in No. 18 South Florida, No. 18 Florida State and No. 22 Pitt. None of those teams will be ranked in the CFP rankings on Tuesday, however.
Who they lost to: The Hurricanes have a home loss to Louisville and an overtime loss at SMU. Those teams finished with a combined record of 16-8.
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The best argument for Notre Dame
The Irish have done nothing to drop out of the top 10. Notre Dame has outscored its last four opponents 205-52 – an incredible stretch under Marcus Freeman that suggests that the Irish belong in the College Football Playoff and would be a tough team to beat in the first round.
The Irish rank fifth in the FBS in scoring offense at 42 points per game, and their two losses are to tough opponents. Jeremiyah Love is a Heisman contender at running back. It's not just about head to head. "Eye test" is not a quantifiable metric, but Notre Dame has the look of one of the few teams that could challenge No. 1 Ohio State given the opportunity. The Irish have a similar strength of schedule by record, and their losses are not as bad. How could the committee drop them out of the top 10 when they have been firmly in from the start?
The best argument for Miami
Everything is close. The strength of record metric between opponents, the common opponents and the number of ranked teams on the schedule. When it's that close, head to head has to matter, right? Otherwise, the games don't matter.
That is the argument Miami will use over and over again – and they should. Miami allows 13.8 points per game, which ranks sixth in the FBS. Reuben Bain is one of the best defensive players in the FBS. Miami's losses are worse than Notre Dame, but they are not horrible losses. Louisville and SMU were solid teams, and the Mustangs' loss was on the road. Miami has moved up the CFP rankings with each week, and if the teams are ranked back to back – which is possible – then the Hurricanes could get that nod based on the head-to-head victory. It's a compelling trump card in a close debate.
Why step out and play monster non-conference games if you are not going to get rewarded?
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Verdict: Who wins Notre Dame vs. Miami argument?
We addressed this debate on Nov. 5 and predicted it would be a constant topic of conversation leading up to the final pairings. Our feelings have not changed.
If the committee has not put the Hurricanes ahead of the Irish to this point, then why would they do it now? Miami beat Pitt by 31 points. Notre Dame beat by 22 points. Is that nine-point difference really enough after Rivalry Week? That's not more significant than the 15-point advantage Notre Dame has in point differential against common ACC opponents.
We still think Notre Dame will be ranked ahead of the Hurricanes – and despite our strong feelings about head to head it is justified when you look at how well Notre Dame has played since the first two losses.
Miami also did not make the ACC championship game because of a complex set of tiebreakers that favored five-loss Duke instead. That would have made this debate a non-starter because the Hurricanes would have been favored in the ACC championship game. But that didn't happen – and it could end up keeping the Hurricanes out of the College Football Playoff.
That does not mean that both teams won't get in. What if Georgia beats Alabama handily in the SEC championship game? Would the Crimson Tide fall behind the Hurricanes? It seems unlikely, but that could be a secondary debate knowing Alabama would have three losses.
What are the potential ramifications of putting Notre Dame ahead of Miami in this rankings? The calls for the Irish to join a conference will grow louder. This would be the second straight season Notre Dame earned a bid with an independent schedule, and the more times the Irish take a bid away from a fringe team from a Power 4 conference – in this case a conference Notre Dame has a scheduling arrangement with – then those feelings will only intensify. Our best guess? Notre Dame stays ahead of Miami – now and through Sunday.