ACC 'Shocked and Disappointed' Alabama Ahead of Miami in Latest CFP Bracket Rankings

Miami's hopes of an undefeated season crumbled over the past few weeks after the Hurricanes lost to Georgia Tech and Syracuse, but there was still belief they could find their way into the 12-team College Football Playoff.

When the rankings were revealed on Tuesday, Miami missed out on the No. 11 spot, which instead went to Alabama. Now the Hurricanes will likely miss the CFP unless the committee sees something that changes its mind this week.

The decision to put the Crimson Tide over Miami left ACC commissioner Jim Phillips "incredibly shocked and disappointed," he said in a statement, per ESPN. Phillips also said the Hurricanes "absolutely deserves better from the committee."

"As we look ahead to the final rankings, we hope the committee will reconsider and put a deserving Miami in the field," Phillips said.

If the rankings stand, the ACC will have just one representative in the CFP: the winner of the conference championship between SMU and Clemson. As it stands now, the SEC and Big Ten have four teams each in the Playoff.

Miami was a clear favorite to reach the College Football Playoff until its Nov. 9 loss to Georgia Tech. That loss hurt their chances, but making the 12-team field was still very realistic. Saturday's loss to Syracuse meant the Hurricanes would need plenty of grace from the committee.

Alabama, barring any major changes, will be the only three-loss team to make the field. The Crimson Tide have losses to Vanderbilt, No. 7 Tennessee and Oklahoma. The 24-3 loss to the Sooners two weeks ago is an especially bad stain on their resume.

One could argue that Alabama's wins make up for its losses, as the Tide have victories over No. 5 Georgia, No. 14 South Carolina, No. 19 Missouri, LSU and more, which was likely the committee's reasoning for their placement.

Still, for Miami players, staff and fans, it's likely hard to understand the committee's thinking.