College Football Playoff 12-team reveal had unwanted surprises for Notre Dame, Ohio State

A Notre Dame fan summed up what's at stake Saturday vs. Miami

The 7-1 Fighting Irish's only loss this season was the controversial one to BYU (No. 9 in the CFP rankings) last month.

Notre Dame is No. 1 in ESPN's own FPI rankings.

When the Fighting Irish's logo flashed on the board at No. 11, ESPN's TV crew was stunned.

Joey Galloway's reaction: "Wow."

Rece Davis: "I did not expect to see this. I expected them much, much higher."

After he questioned CFP selection committee chairman Hunter Yurachek about the Irish's unlucky landing spot at No. 11, Davis quickly knew what was at stake Saturday night.

"(Notre Dame) would certainly seem to be in a very precarious position, though," Davis said to Yuracheck, "because there would be precious few opportunities for the Irish to move up if they can't beat Miami."

First CFP 12-team playoff rankings exlcude Ohio State

Another shocker from Tuesday's 12-team reveal: No Ohio State.

The banged-up Buckeyes' loss to USC last Saturday sent them tumbling to No. 11 in the AP poll, though they're ranked No. 2 in ESPN's FPI rankings.

The committee, however, placed them No. 12 in the first CFP rankings, meaning if the season ended today, the Buckeyes wouldn't be in the 12-team field, despite Ohio State's huge road win against defending champion Indiana (No. 6 in AP, No. 8 FPI, No. 4 CFP) on Oct. 17.

OSU's bad loss to the Trojans, coupled with starting quarterback Julian Sayin's injury, were factors in the committee's decision, Yurachek said.

There's plenty of football left, starting with Saturday's Super Six slate, but for the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish, one more loss and they're both out of the CFP.