The AP Top 25 has started to look a little shaky after Week 7, and a handful of teams near the top are drawing real scrutiny.
Miami is the biggest eyebrow-raiser. On paper, the Hurricanes are still sitting high, but the performance against Florida State left plenty of room for doubt.
Miami needed double overtime to survive a bad Seminoles team, and the game was far tighter than it should have been. Florida State had scored just 49 combined points across Miami’s first five opponents, then put up 35 on Saturday night and even held a fourth-quarter lead.
The Hurricanes may have walked away with the win, but the questions around Mario Cristobal’s team are only getting louder. They’ve also got just one ranked opponent left on the schedule.
UCLA is another team that suddenly feels vulnerable. This isn’t so much a criticism of the Bruins’ record as it is a reminder of how much the loss of quarterback Nico Iamaleava could matter.
Iamaleava was still getting settled in Bob Chesney’s offense, his third system in three years, and his absence has already changed the look of the team. In the first full game without him, Cal Poly transfer Ty Dieffenbach went 22 of 33 for 264 yards and an interception.
UCLA opened well with two long scoring drives, then hit a stretch where everything stalled: two picks, a turnover on downs, and a three-and-out. The defense can keep the Bruins afloat for now, especially with only two road games left and just one more matchup against a top-25 opponent.
Utah is undefeated and now ranked No. 10, which would put the Utes in the College Football Playoff field if it started today. That’s quite a spot to be in after the dramatic departure of Kyle Whittingham less than a year ago.
Still, the schedule hasn’t really challenged them yet. Utah hasn’t played an unranked opponent, and that changes this weekend with College GameDay headed to Salt Lake for the Houston game.
The Utes already had to rally from a fourth-quarter deficit against a below-average Colorado team last week, and tougher tests are still coming after Houston, with BYU and Arizona on deck. Soon enough, we’ll know whether Utah is for real.
Alabama remains ranked in the top 15 despite back-to-back losses, including a lopsided defeat at Tennessee where the Crimson Tide didn’t score after halftime. No other two-loss team is ranked higher than No. 18, and LSU’s pair of losses at least came on the road by a single possession.
Alabama’s offensive slide has become hard to ignore. Against Georgia and Tennessee, the Tide faded badly.
Keelon Russell has completed 35 of 59 passes for 332 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions over his last eight quarters, and he’s been sacked eight times in that span. The good news for Alabama is that only one ranked team remains on the schedule, so there’s still a path to steady the season before the postseason.
USC is 6-1, but the shine has worn thin a bit after a BYE week. Three of the Trojans’ six wins have come by one possession, and their only game against a ranked opponent ended in a loss to Oregon.
Even Oregon has had its own issues, which doesn’t exactly make that defeat look any more comforting. The tough part is still ahead.
USC still has Ohio State, Indiana, and UCLA on the schedule, all top-10 teams, with Wisconsin also waiting and able to cause problems. If the Trojans are going to run into trouble down the stretch, this is where it likely starts.
In Other News...
Miami Just Got A Huge Recruiting Chance It Couldnt Afford To Lose
A prized recruiting visit is headed to Hard Rock Stadium this weekend, and Miami has plenty at stake with it. DJ Jacobs, the five-star edge rusher in the 2027 class who is committed to Ohio State, is expected to be on hand for the Hurricanes' home game along with his younger brother Dawson Jacobs, a four-star defensive line prospect. Mario Cristobal and his staff have kept the door open with DJ, and the timing gives Miami another chance to make its case in front of two defensive prospects who could matter a lot to the programs future.
The visit comes at a useful moment for the Hurricanes, whose 2027 class has room for more movement after a recent decommitment. Miami has been trying to stay involved with DJ Jacobs while also working on the broader picture with the brothers, but their recruitment remains unsettled for now. For a program looking to turn visits into traction, getting both Jacobs brothers on campus gives the Hurricanes a chance they could not really afford to miss. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Mourns A Former Hurricane Who Meant Far More Than Football
Miamis football family is grieving the loss of Bailey, a former Hurricanes standout whose impact stretched well beyond the field. Drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs after his time in Coral Gables, he was remembered by former teammates for both the player he was and the person he became, with tributes underscoring how much he meant to the program long after his playing days ended.
The timing adds another layer to a week already full of emotion and accomplishment around the Hurricanes, with Malachi Toney earning the Paul Hornung Award for National Player of the Week after his performance against Florida State. Even in the middle of that recognition, the focus in Miami also remains on honoring a former Hurricane whose legacy carried real weight in the locker room and around the program. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Rivalry Win Took A Dark Turn For Damon Wilson II
Miamis win over Florida State should have been remembered as another sharp-edged chapter in the rivalry, but it quickly carried into a much uglier space for Damon Wilson II. After the game, Wilson revealed that he had received alleged racist messages on Instagram from Kade McLendon, an employee of The Florida Bar, turning a celebratory night for the Hurricanes into one with an immediate off-field fallout.
The Florida Bar responded by placing McLendon on administrative leave and opening an internal investigation into the messages, which are said to violate the organizations social media policy. The inquiry is ongoing, and the Bar has said it intends to enforce its policies while also protecting due process rights, leaving the situation still unfolding even as the football result itself is long settled. [Read more 🡒]