No. 2 Miami's loss opens door for Wisconsin to crack top four of playoff rankings

MINNEAPOLIS – Unranked Pittsburgh did its best Friday to send shock waves through the College Football Playoff rankings.

The Panthers stunned No. 2 and previously unbeaten Miami, 24-14, Friday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, opening the door for No. 5 Wisconsin (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) to move into the top four with a victory over Minnesota (5-6, 2-6) on Saturday.

Although Miami (10-1, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) is likely to fall out of the top four when the next rankings are revealed Tuesday, the Hurricanes still face No. 3 Clemson (10-1, 7-1) in the ACC title game Dec. 2 in Charlotte, N.C. 

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Clemson, the defending national champion, faces host South Carolina (8-3, 5-3 SEC) on Saturday. Clemson's lone loss came to unranked Syracuse, 27-24.

UW has won the last 13 meetings in the series vs. Minnesota, by an average of 15.1 points per game. 

UW coach Paul Chryst set the tone for the week by noting the winning streak and margin of victory would be irrelevant Saturday.

“Each year is a new opportunity,” he said. “And certainly this game means a ton to both sides.

“And really if you look back at the history of it, both schools have had their runs.”

The series is tied, 59-59-8.

“The great thing about sports is: 'What are you doing today?' " Chryst said. "This group knows that and it’s all about this year. 

“You’ve got to go play the game.”