Mario Cristobal Calls Out Critics Who Wanted Notre Dame in CFP After Miami Beats TAMU

After No. 10 Miami secured a 10-3 win over No. 7 Texas A&M in the first round of the College Football Playoff, Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal had a message for critics who wanted to see Notre Dame in the playoff instead.

"We had common opponents with another great football team that I'm sure would do great in the playoffs, but we did better against those common opponents and we won the head-to-head," Cristobal told reporters Saturday. "God forbid we should ever get away from the meaning of head-to-head."

"Let us never ever devalue the importance of head-to-head competition, please," he added.

The Hurricanes were able to clinch the final at-large CFP bid over Notre Dame due to their 27-24 win over the Fighting Irish on Aug. 31.

Both schools also finished with identical 10-2 records.

The situation generated buzz due to the fact that despite the season-opening result, Notre Dame was still listed above Miami in every edition of the CFP rankings before the official 12-team playoff field was finalized.

It's also worth noting that BYU separated Notre Dame and Miami in the CFP rankings, but the Cougars' lopsided 34-7 defeat in the Big 12 Championship Game allowed the playoff committee to compare the Hurricanes and Fighting Irish directly.

It also added more weight to their head-to-head clash.

While Notre Dame eventually withdrew from its bowl game after the decision, Miami proved that it belonged in the playoff on Saturday.

The Hurricanes' defense stepped up in the win, generating three turnovers and limiting the Aggies to a mere 89 rush yards on 2.5 yards per carry as a team.

Miami fittingly closed out the victory by getting a stop, as freshman Bryce Fitzgerald picked off Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed at the goal line to prevent a potential game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

The performance by Cristobal's squad was especially impressive considering the Aggies entered the game with the SEC's No. 4 scoring offense, averaging 36.3 points per game.

Miami will now face No. 1 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.