What's all the fuss about in Miami?

"Reminder to Hurricane Club members to obtain priority status for Miami's national championship game!" That is the headline on Miami's official team website. But not so fast, Miami fans. Only one thing is certain: the opinion of the 130 combined voters in the two major polls does not count, or at least not for very much. Nearly all of them agree that Oklahoma is No. 1, Miami is No. 2 and Florida State is No. 3. Still, despite Miami's 27-24 victory over Florida State earlier in the season, Florida State will DEFINITELY be playing in the Orange Bowl for a national championship, and it will only be against Miami if Kansas State upsets Oklahoma in the Big 12 conference championship game. "Not fair," you say. Miami coach Butch Davis would certainly concur. "There's an awful lot wrong with this current formula," Davis recently complained in reference to the Bowl Championship Series computer ranking. As the saying goes, however, life is not always fair, and to make that statement even more apropos, you can change "life" to "college football" and "always" to "ever." As long as college football continues to pass on a playoff-determined national champion, something like this will occur on a fairly regular basis. Still, for Miami to whine about getting the short straw is not exactly tugging at my heart strings. It had to be someone, and why not Miami? Miami's claim that it should be included in the title game because it defeated Florida State is not all that convincing. By that very same logic, No. 4 Washington (one loss, just like FSU and Miami) should be banging down doors out West for not receiving an Orange Bowl invitation. And then what a Pandora's Box that would open up. The fifth-ranked Oregon State Beavers, whose only loss this season came against Washington, would be able to make the same claim. But it does not stop there. Next on the list-No. 6 Virginia Tech, which boasts a perfect mark except for a solitary loss to Miami. In a season of incredible parity at the top, the "I beat you so I'm better" logic just is not good enough. When you get right down to it, Florida State deserves a shot at a title as much as anybody. The Seminoles thrashed then-No. 10 Clemson and beat then-No. 4 Florida, giving them as many quality victories as anyone else. Do the Hurricanes deserve to play for a national title? Yes. Do they deserve that shot more than Florida State? Not until college football moves to at least an eight-team playoff. The fact is, there are five teams ranked No. 2 through No. 6 nationally, each with its only loss coming against another team in that group. So before anyone sheds a tear for Miami, keep in mind that three other equally deserving teams are getting the proverbial shaft as well.