Overtime Heartbreak: No. 10 Miami's Playoff Dream Takes a Crushing Hit at SMU

Read Time:3 Minute, 5 Second

DALLAS, T.X.—For the second time in three weeks, the Miami Hurricanes found themselves on the wrong end of a razor-thin college football loss, and this one stings deep into the soul of the program. The No. 10 Hurricanes fell to the SMU Mustangs $26-20$ in overtime on Saturday at Ford Stadium, handing Miami (6-2, 2-2 ACC) its second loss of the season and dealing a potentially fatal blow to their College Football Playoff aspirations.

What started with such high promise—a $5-0$ vault to the No. 2 ranking—now feels like a season on the respirator, as critical mistakes and self-inflicted wounds allowed the Mustangs to pull off their first home win over an AP Top-10 opponent since 1974.

The OT Interception and Self-Inflicted Wounds

The game was a back-and-forth thriller, tied $20-20$ after SMU’s late field goal in regulation. Miami had the ball first in overtime, driving deep into the red zone before disaster struck:

The Turnover: Facing third-and-6 from the SMU 7-yard line, quarterback Carson Beck’s pass was intercepted by safety Ahmaad Moses—his second pick of the day—just short of the goal line.
The Finish: Given life, the Mustangs took over and marched into the end zone, winning the game on a $1$ -yard run by T.J. Harden.

The overtime mistake was compounded by costly errors throughout the game, which finished with Miami accumulating 12 penalties for 96 yards.

“Obviously, a lot of self-inflicted issues for us,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal told reporters. “At the end, just didn’t have enough to overcome it. We always play hard till the end, every game. But a lot of penalties. It’s on all of us.”

Regulation Regret: Penalties Pave SMU’s Way

The Hurricanes held a $20-17$ lead inside the final minute of regulation, but a crucial flag allowed SMU to tie the game:

The Controversial Flag: Facing fourth-and-9 with $1:08$ left, Miami called a timeout. After the whistle, defensive player Marquise Lightfoot hit SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings. The officials threw a controversial flag for unnecessary roughness, giving the Mustangs a first down and new life near midfield.
The Tie: SMU capitalized, driving for a game-tying $38$ -yard field goal by Sam Keltner with 25 seconds remaining, forcing the extra period.

Despite outgaining SMU $415-363$ and holding the ball for an astounding $37:42$ , the Hurricanes’ inability to convert opportunities—and their poor discipline—proved decisive.

CFP Hopes Vanish: The Two-Loss Margin

Miami entered the weekend with a marginal path to the 12-team playoff, requiring them to win out and contend for the ACC Championship. The loss drastically complicates that picture:

ACC Championship Path Blocked: With two ACC losses (Louisville and SMU), Miami (2-2 ACC) now trails unbeaten Georgia Tech (5-0) and Virginia (4-0), as well as one-loss teams like Pitt and Louisville in the standings. Their path to the ACC Championship Game is now incredibly slim, requiring multiple teams to stumble.
No Margin for Error: For a two-loss team to make the expanded playoff, the selection committee generally requires a conference championship. Without that, Miami must now hope for maximum chaos across the country and a dramatic climb in the rankings.

As one analyst noted, the most direct way for “The U” to make the field was always by winning the ACC, and they may now be “boxed out of the opportunity.” With the first College Football Playoff rankings set to be released on Tuesday, No. 10 Miami is now expected to slide significantly, pushing its postseason hopes to the outer edges of the bracket.