Miami is headed for a top-3 spot in the AP Top 25, and it won’t even have to wait around for a result to make it happen.
A wave of chaos around the country did the heavy lifting. Upsets near the top of the rankings, highlighted by a stunning finish in the Red River Rivalry, shook up the top five.
Then LSU, Florida and Pitt all took losses, opening the door for more movement throughout the poll. Georgia’s win over Alabama should send the Bulldogs to No. 1, while the Crimson Tide figure to survive mostly intact despite the defeat.
Here’s how the rest of the poll should look:
- Georgia Bulldogs, 20-17 win over Oklahoma
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 58-7 win over Stanford
- Miami Hurricanes, did not play
- Ohio State Buckeyes, 45-16 win over Maryland
- Indiana Hoosiers, 20-17 win over Nebraska
That top five has the look of a legitimate College Football Playoff group. All five appear locked into the 12-team bracket. Notre Dame may have tried to make its own statement with a bigger blowout of Stanford than Miami managed, but a 39-point win versus a 51-point win doesn’t really change much.
Indiana and Georgia look like the toughest tests ahead among that group, but both have enough committee credibility to absorb a loss or two if those games are competitive.
Below that, Texas should slide after its 27-24 loss to Oklahoma, but not crash all the way out of the upper tier. The Longhorns just need to start stacking better performances. The upset was particularly jarring considering how rough Oklahoma’s offense has been.
- Texas Longhorns, 27-24 loss to Oklahoma
- BYU Cougars, 24-10 win over Iowa State
- Ole Miss Rebels, 52-17 win over Vanderbilt
- Alabama Crimson Tide, 20-17 loss to Georgia
- Texas Tech Red Raiders, did not play
- Utah Utes, 41-24 win over Kansas
- Missouri Tigers, 27-6 win over Texas A&M
- UCLA Bruins, 17-15 win over Oregon
- Tennessee Volunteers, 24-17 win over Arkansas
- USC Trojans, 31-23 win over Penn State
- Iowa Hawkeyes, 41-24 win over Washington
- Oklahoma State Cowboys, 42-28 win over UCF
- Mississippi State Bulldogs, did not play
- Kentucky Wildcats, 35-34 win over LSU
- LSU Tigers, 35-34 loss to Kentucky
- Houston Cougars, 35-16 win over Kansas State
- Oregon Ducks, 17-15 loss to UCLA
- Boise State Broncos, 38-31 win over Fresno State
- SMU Mustangs, did not play
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 38-14 win over NC State
Oregon and LSU both need to climb back from well outside the CFP picture. Oregon has Ohio State on the road in November, while LSU still has Texas and Alabama ahead. Failing to make the CFP is not an option for Lane Kiffin.
Kentucky and Wake Forest are the new arrivals, while Florida and Pitt fall out. The ACC did itself no favors with Pitt and Duke both losing, but Wake Forest has been collecting enough good results to help offset some of that damage.
In Other News...
Miami Fans May Need To Reassess These Stalled Hurricanes Names
Miamis 2026 roster has already produced a few reminders that recruiting rankings and offseason buzz do not always carry cleanly into the fall. Jordan Lyle, once viewed as an important piece in the backfield, has seen his season disrupted by injuries and a team suspension after an arrest, leaving him with limited playing time and a clear slide down the depth chart.
The same sense of unfinished business has followed other names fans expected to move faster. Freshman tackle Jackson Cantwell, a five-star arrival, has not yet locked down a starting job and has been limited in his snaps, while redshirt junior receiver Vandrevius Jacobs has not turned added chances into much production even with more opportunity created by a teammates injury. For a team trying to sort out its identity, those stalled developments matter as much as the players who are already delivering. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Raised The Stakes On Its Unbeaten Start
Miamis unbeaten start now carries a little more weight. The Hurricanes moved up to a season-high No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 after Texas lost to Oklahoma, giving Mario Cristobals team an even stronger national perch as it heads deeper into the fall. For a program trying to turn a fast start into something more durable, the ranking only sharpens the spotlight.
Florida State is next, and that is where the real test of Miamis place in the poll begins. Rivalry games have a way of reshaping the conversation quickly, especially when a team is still perfect and climbing, while the rest of the rankings continue to churn around it with Kentucky up to No. 15 and Florida dropping out after a loss to South Carolina. [Read more 🡒]
Miamis Unbeaten Start Just Raised The Stakes For Florida State
Miamis unbeaten start suddenly looks even more valuable after Week 6 shuffled the college football picture at the top. Georgias 20-17 win over Alabama left the Bulldogs as the top-ranked undefeated team, while six teams, including Texas and Alabama, were knocked from the unbeaten ranks and other programs such as James Madison and UCLA grabbed attention with notable wins.
For the Hurricanes, the timing only heightens the stakes around Florida State. With the November meeting still ahead and the national race tightening, every week now carries more weight for Miami as it tries to protect its place in the conversation. The schedule still has plenty of room to change, with a number of teams also setting up important games for October 17, but the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]