Miami, CFP mulling plans for Hard Rock conflict

The University of Miami and the College Football Playoff are working on a contingency plan to account for a possible Hard Rock Stadium scheduling conflict if the Hurricanes make the playoff and earn a first-round home game.

LaLiga, Spain's top-flight soccer league, officially announced its plans last week to hold the Barcelona-Villarreal game in Miami on Dec. 20 -- the same day as the first round of the CFP.

The CFP's top four seeds earn a first-round bye, and the Nos. 5-8 seeds host a first-round home game. With Miami's loss to Louisville on Friday night, the Hurricanes' chances of earning a bye dropped significantly, while the possibility of hosting a home game increased.

Miami provided a statement to ESPN on Sunday about the ongoing conversations.

"Hard Rock Stadium developed an operational plan should the stadium host both a LaLiga game and a University of Miami CFP first-round game the weekend of December 19th and 20th," the school said. "We will continue to refine and review the plan and ultimately meet the needs and objectives of the CFP pending final scheduling of both events."

With the soccer game scheduled for a potential 10:15 a.m. ET kickoff, the Hurricanes could host the CFP game at Hard Rock Stadium later that night. The playoff game also could move to a different day, but both of those options would require some assistance from ESPN to find a television window that works.

If Miami's plan contains any significant changes or requirements to the schedule, it would have to be approved by the CFP management committee, which is composed of the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua.

CFP officials are expecting Miami to provide them with an alternate location this week, and sources told ESPN the university is considering Orlando, Florida -- but that would be the worst-case scenario. Any change is venue is up to the hosting school.

"We are aware of reports regarding a La Liga match and the potential for a University of Miami CFP First-Round playoff game to be scheduled on the same weekend at Hard Rock Stadium," the CFP said in a statement. "We will continue to review operational plans with all parties involved, pending final scheduling of both events."

There are still more questions than answers. LaLiga players have recently protested the league's decision to hold a regular-season game in Miami, and of course, the Hurricanes have yet to make the playoff.

This isn't the first time a school has had to come up with a playoff contingency plan. In 2024, the first year of the 12-team field, Kansas athletic director Travis Goff said that if the Jayhawks earned a first-round home game, it would have to be played at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium because of construction at the school's on-campus stadium.