Results against common opponents don't mean much because football often is a game of matchups.
The next tie breaker is their records against common opponents.
Then comes the teams' records against common opponents, if there have been at least four of them.
Against those three common opponents the Irish scored 104 points to 32.
Miami's most common opponent in bowl play has been Nebraska.
The Bears have a better record against common opponents, 4-4 to 3-5.
This month in Australia, they have even shared a common opponent: their health.
The most common opponent was Arkansas, who met with Tulsa four times.
In past years, the number of common opponents for divisional teams varied widely.
The two teams had never played each other, but they shared a common 2010 opponent, Wake Forest.