College football reality is abruptly shifting, with teams butting heads to enter the thick of the title game. While the first round of CFP ranking dished out a tentative feel-good factor for the high-ranked teams, the weeks on the remainder are ready to reshuffle the ego. Regarding Miami, the Hurricanes were placed at no. 4, marking its highest stretch since 2017. Everything was good until their latest test against Georgia Tech sent them a harsh reality check. Cam Ward can’t be the perpetual savior of the UM and it’s proven. The Heisman frontrunner has been unstoppable this season, but last week, he couldn’t bail out. Outshot? season’s first loss for Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes. The worst part is that a single loss costs more than meets the eye.

Miami has showcased unreal aggression over all of their opponents with the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation. The defense was also decent, despite some doubts swirling over the other side of their ball. But the way they came up short against Georgia Tech, the question leaves if they are a championship-worthy team. The doubts and the lackluster grip of the hurricanes directly impacted their playoff projection. Last week, the Hurricanes were supposed to make it to the new 12-team College Football Playoff with a 92.8 per cent chance. One loss and the reality took a pearshape. Now, the metric shows a little more than half-half (60.2 percent) chance for the Hurricanes to get into the next step of the conference.

9-1 and 5-1 in the ACC, the Hurricanes clearly lost their grip over the cream of the conference. They are now on the same page with Clemson (6-2, 5-1), standing on the verge of falling out of the ACC championship chase in case the Tigers top Virginia Tech next weekend.

A sloppy Miami defense brutally failed in stopping the running game during the Georgia Tech blunder, something a top title contender team can’t afford at all. The additional woes turned out to be their slow passing of the ball. They threw the ball only 16 times out of 64 plays.

They were also horrible on third and fourth downs, something you might not believe if you have watched all their season games but the latest. All the collective failure gave the Yellow Jackets the boost they needed to walk out with a 28-23 win. However, the playoff hope is not dead, but certainly a lot tougher than usual.

Can the Miami Hurricanes steal a spot in the playoffs with the 60 per cent room?

Miami ranked fourth in the initial CFP rankings and, with a 60% chance of making it into the playoff before Saturday’s loss, aren’t totally out of contention, but they fell from their grace. As ESPN’s Allstate Playoff Predictor could see: ‘‘Canes still have a clear and direct path to the ACC Championship Game and thus the playoff.”

Miami is supposed to be favored in their two remaining matchups. If they win both, they can still be in the ACC goal and will probably face off against undefeated SMU the next. However, another loss will mean a kiss of death for the Canes. ”Canes lose one of their final two regular-season games and do not qualify for the ACC Championship Game, the predictor gives Miami just a 10% chance of making it into the CFP,” said the predictor.

But if the reverse happens, it will be a phoenix-rising story for Cristobal. If Miami outplays the remaining three opponents — vs. Wake Forest (4-5, 2-3), at Syracuse (6-3, 3-3), and the ACC Championship Game — they will have a 99 percent chance to crack the playoff berth. Mario Cristobal just has to play his cards right with caution. Miracle awaits on the road!

What’s your take on Miami’s shrinking playoff hope after the first-season loss? Let us know in the comments.