Miami is the new team at the top of the Coaches Poll, and the latest Week 8 ranking is packed with the fallout from a wild Saturday across college football.
The Hurricanes moved into No. 1 for the first time this season after surviving Florida State, finishing off an unbeaten start in dramatic fashion on a disputed, intercepted Hail Mary as time expired. It’s the third straight week the poll has had a different No. 1.
BYU also made a major jump after knocking off previously second-ranked Notre Dame. The Cougars climbed to No. 3, while the Fighting Irish fell to No. 8.
Georgia’s stay at No. 1 ended after a stunning 27-24 home loss to Auburn. The Bulldogs dropped to No. 4, a sharp turn after a run that had seen Georgia go 41-4 when ranked No. 1 under Kirby Smart, including 18-0 at home. Auburn had also been on a nine-game losing streak to Georgia dating back to 2017.
Texas, meanwhile, slid out of the top 10 after losing to Florida. That drop came two weeks after the Longhorns were sitting at No. 1 following their 4-0 start, a stretch that included a win over Ohio State.
The Buckeyes are now No. 2 after beating Indiana on the road and ending the Hoosiers’ 22-game winning streak in a top-five showdown. Ohio State did not get through the day clean, though, as quarterback Julian Sayin suffered a shoulder injury that is expected to keep him out for “several weeks” while the Buckeyes’ Big Ten and CFP position hangs in the balance.
Alabama was the fifth top-10 team to take a loss on Saturday, and Tennessee made the Tide pay. The Volunteers controlled a 26-10 win and held Alabama to just 201 total yards against Jim Knowles’ defense.
Tennessee moved up to No. 11, ahead of Alabama at No. 13.
At the top of the ranking, Miami leads the way, followed by Ohio State and BYU. Georgia sits at No.
4, Texas Tech at No. 5, Indiana at No.
6, Ole Miss at No. 7, Notre Dame at No.
8, Utah at No. 9 and UCLA at No. 10.
The rest of the top 25 includes Kentucky at No. 12, Alabama at No.
13, Iowa at No. 14, USC at No.
15, Houston at No. 16, LSU at No.
17, Texas at No. 18, Wake Forest at No.
19, SMU at No. 20, Missouri at No.
21, Boise State at No. 22, Northwestern at No.
23, Florida at No. 24 and Oregon at No. 25.
Florida and Oregon are the new additions to this week’s Coaches Poll. Mississippi State and Oklahoma State dropped out.
In Other News...
Tramell Jones Jr. Just Gave Florida A Reason To Believe
A freshman making his first career start is rarely asked to steady a program against a top-10 opponent, but Tramell Jones Jr. walked into that kind of assignment and gave Florida exactly the kind of calm it needed. The Gators rallied from a 17-3 deficit to beat seventh-ranked Texas 27-24, and Jones played a central role in getting them back into it, completing 22 of 35 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns.
For Florida, the win was about more than surviving an early hole. It was about seeing a young quarterback handle pressure, keep the offense moving and give the Gators a chance when the game tightened late. The defense finished the job with a late fumble by Texas quarterback Arch Manning, but the bigger takeaway in Gainesville is hard to miss: there is at least a reason to believe Florida has found something it can build on. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Suddenly Has A Bigger Opportunity Than Anyone Expected
Floridas win over Texas came at exactly the right time, giving Billy Napiers team a needed jolt after a season that has already swung from a 4-0 start to back-to-back losses. The bigger picture around college football has been just as unpredictable, with results across several conferences reshuffling expectations almost every week, and Florida has managed to keep itself in the conversation despite the early turbulence.
With the bye week now in hand, the Gators are in a better spot than many projected before the season, both in the SEC race and in the overall record chase. The Texas victory did more than settle things down for a day, too, because it left Floridas preseason goals still within reach as the schedule moves into its next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Turned The Big 12 Race Into Something Much Bigger
A wild Saturday across college football sent shockwaves through the AP poll, and BYU was one of the biggest beneficiaries after upsetting Notre Dame to climb to No. 2. The chaos was unprecedented, with five of the top seven teams losing on the same day for the first time in AP history, and Miami surged to No. 1 after its double-overtime win against Florida State.
For Florida fans, the broader picture is just as striking because the Gators were part of a day that helped redraw the national conversation in a hurry. Ohio State held off Indiana, Tennessee beat Alabama, Florida knocked off Texas, and Auburn beat Georgia, turning what could have been a routine Saturday into a rankings reset that left the Big 12 race and the rest of the playoff picture looking far more volatile than before. [Read more 🡒]